Without congressional action, the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which was created in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and provides a monthly $30 discount on home broadband services will exhaust its funding in April. There are 335,079 households in New Jersey availing themselves of this benefit. The application process for new enrollees closed on February 7.
A bipartisan, bicameral group of legislators introduced the Affordable Connectivity Program Extension Act (H.R. 6929/S. 3565). This bill would provide the ACP with an extra $7 billion to extend the operating timeline and ensure participating households do not lose connectivity. While the bill is bipartisan, it faces some roadblocks to passage: Congressional deadlock over spending, objections by some legislators to the program and its benefit levels or qualification requirements, and the tight timeline to appropriate funds to continue the program without interruption. However, the increase in public awareness about the threat of expiration and constituent anger at the approach of the deadline may help motivate legislators to support the bill.
You can learn more by reading the recent ACP-focused blog post by the National League of Cities (NLC), the League’s federal partner.
We encourage you to reach out to your Member of Congress and encourage them to fund this program and share how the program has positively impacted your municipality Also, please sign the letter circulated by NLC.
Contact: Paul Penna, Senior Legislative Analyst, ppenna@njlm.org, 609-695-3481, x110.