These Utah households may soon lose affordable internet access
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — If funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program is not renewed, more than 73,000 households in Utah could be at risk of losing access to affordable internet.
The ACP — which, under the Federal Communications Commission, provides discounts on high-speed internet for eligible households — will stop accepting enrollments on Feb. 7, 2024. This means consumers must be approved and enrolled with a provider by 11:59 p.m. Eastern or 9:59 p.m. Mountain.
The FCC says the current funding is projected to last until the end of April 2024. In an effort to provide more funding, a bipartisan group of Senators and Representatives introduced a proposed extension that would give an additional $7 billion in funding to the program.
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Which households would be affected?
The ACP is directed toward low-income households that meet the eligibility requirements listed on its website. With the benefit, eligible households can get a monthly discount of up to $30 toward internet service and qualifying Tribal lands can receive up to $75 per month.
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel shared enrollment data for each state, territory and Congressional district. According to a press release, nearly 23 million households throughout the U.S. are enrolled in the program and rely on it.
“Disconnecting millions of families from their jobs, schools, markets, and information is not the solution,” Rosenworcel said. “We have come too far with the ACP to turn back.”
In Utah alone, Rosenworcel said more than 73,530 households may be at risk of losing their affordable internet access.
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What is the ACP doing about it?
The first step the ACP is taking is to cease accepting new enrollments on Feb. 7, 2024. The program is following its pre-established procedures for winding down.
In a press release, the FCC said that “an outreach effort is already underway to tell ACP households about the potential loss of the benefit.”
Broadband providers sent an initial notice to subscribers who were part of the ACP to let those subscribers know how their internet bills would be affected, should ACP funding expire.
Providers will also be required to send at least two more additional notices once the final month of ACP is announced and what actions can be taken, whether subscribers choose to opt out of further service or change their service.
“The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law created this program, our largest-ever effort to make broadband affordable nationwide, but we now are on the brink of letting that success slip away,” Rosenworcel said.
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