FCC Winding Down Affordable Connectivity Program
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) would like to inform our outreach partners that the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is expected to end this spring unless Congress appropriates additional funding. As a result, the FCC has begun taking steps to wind down the ACP. The FCC projects that households enrolled in the ACP will continue to receive the benefit on their internet service through April 2024. This date is an estimate and may change.
In 2021, Congress established the Affordable Connectivity Program in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and appropriated $14.2 billion for the program. The FCC was tasked with developing and implementing the ACP as well as ACP outreach and awareness activities. As of today, over 22 million households are enrolled and receiving the ACP monthly benefit.
What’s happening?
Without additional funding from Congress, the FCC anticipates that the current ACP funding is projected to run out in April 2024. This date is an estimate and may change. As a result, the FCC has begun taking steps to wind down the ACP, which means:
No new ACP enrollments will be accepted after February 7, 2024 at 11:59 PM ET.
- Households that enrolled with an ACP internet company before February 7, 2024 at 11:59 PM ET will continue to receive their ACP benefit until ACP funds run out as long as the household remains enrolled and eligible for the benefit.
- When ACP funds run out, households participating in the ACP will no longer receive the ACP discounts.
What should ACP households expect?
All households enrolled in the ACP will continue to receive the benefit on their internet service until ACP funding, which is currently projected through April 2024, runs out.
Eligible households who wish to receive the ACP benefit but have not yet applied for the program should submit a completed ACP application as soon as possible to allow time for processing so that an eligibility determination can be made and the eligible household can sign up with an internet company by February 7, 2024 at 11:59 PM ET. To reiterate – during this program wind-down period, households must BOTH submit their application on a timely basis in order to be approved AND if qualified sign up with an ACP-eligible internet company by February 7, 2024 at 11:59 PM ET.
During the ACP wind-down period, ACP households will receive notices from their internet company about the impact of the end of the benefit on the household’s bill and service. The notices will include:
- That the ACP is ending,
- The impact on their bill,
- The date of the last bill they will receive that includes the ACP benefit, and
- That they may change their service or opt-out of continuing service after the end of the ACP
ACP households will also receive notices from the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC), the administrator of the ACP.
ACP households may also switch their internet plans without penalty.
How can you help?
As our outreach partner, you can help raise awareness about the ACP coming to an end. We have attached an ACP Wind-Down Fact Sheet you can use to help spread the word. The ACP Wind-Down Frequently Asked Questions can also be found here: www.fcc.gov/acp. We want to make sure all enrolled households are informed about the program ending and can navigate next steps as they explore alternative ways to stay connected.
Important Dates:
- January 11, 2024: The FCC released an Order laying out wind-down processes and important dates including the enrollment freeze and the impacts on consumers, internet companies, and ACP Outreach Grant recipients.
- Starting late January 2024: Households that are currently receiving a monthly ACP benefit will start to receive notices from their internet companies with information about the end of the ACP benefit. This information will include timing of the end of the program and the impact of the loss of the benefit on the household’s bill and service.
- February 7, 2024 at 11:59 PM ET: This is the last day that the ACP will accept new applications and enrollments. Eligible households must be approved and enrolled with an internet company by 11:59 PM ET on February 7th to receive the ACP benefit until the program ends. Starting February 8, 2024, there will be no more enrollments into the ACP.
- April 2024: The timeframe the FCC anticipates ACP funding will run out if Congress does not provide additional funding. Currently, the FCC expects consumers that are enrolled in the ACP to continue to receive their full benefit on their internet service through at least April 2024.
We encourage everyone to visit AffordableConnectivity.gov and fcc.gov/acp for more information and further updates regarding the Affordable Connectivity Program.
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What is the Affordable Connectivity Program?
The Affordable Connectivity Program is an FCC benefit program that helps ensure that households can afford the broadband they need for work, school, healthcare and more.
The benefit provides a discount of up to $30 per month toward internet service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal lands. Eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers if they contribute more than $10 and less than $50 toward the purchase price.
The Affordable Connectivity Program is limited to one monthly service discount and one device discount per household.
Who Is Eligible for the Affordable Connectivity Program?
A household is eligible for the Affordable Connectivity Program if the household income is at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, or if a member of the household meets at least one of the criteria below:
- Received a Federal Pell Grant during the current award year;
- Meets the eligibility criteria for a participating provider's existing low-income internet program;
- Participates in one of these assistance programs:
- Free and Reduced-Price School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program, including at U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Community Eligibility Provision schools.
- SNAP
- Medicaid
- Federal Housing Assistance, including:
- Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program (Section 8 Vouchers)
- Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA)/Section 202/ Section 811
- Public Housing
- Affordable Housing Programs for American Indians, Alaska Natives or Native Hawaiians
- Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
- WIC
- Veterans Pension or Survivor Benefits
- or Lifeline;
- Participates in one of these assistance programs and lives on Qualifying Tribal lands:
- Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance
- Tribal TANF
- Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations
- Tribal Head Start (income based)
BAYFIELD SCHOOL DISTRICT IS ENROLLED AS PART OF THE USDA SCHEME, SO ANY PARENT SHOULD QUALIFY
Want to enroll in the ACP? Apply now at ACPBenefit.org.
Learn more about the Affordable Connectivity Program by visiting fcc.gov/ACP.
Some things you need to know:
- Has an income that is at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines; or
- Participates in certain assistance programs, such as SNAP, Medicaid, Federal Public Housing Assistance, SSI, WIC, or Lifeline;
- Participates in Tribal specific programs, such as Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance, Tribal TANF, or Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations;
- Is approved to receive benefits under the free and reduced-price school lunch program or the school breakfast program, including through the USDA Community Eligibility Provision in the 2019-2020, 2020-2021, or 2021-2022 school year;
- Received a Federal Pell Grant during the current award year; or
- Meets the eligibility criteria for a participating provider's existing low-income program.
Documents/Information you will need:
Last four Digits of your SSN or tribal ID, you can also upload a federal ID (drivers license etc)
If you participate in one of the qualifying programs, provide a letter or official document as proof.
Documentation must include:
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Your (or your dependent’s) first and last name
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The name of the qualifying program, such as SNAP
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The name of the government, Tribal entity, program administrator, school, school district, university, or college that issued the document
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An issue date within the last 12 months or a future expiration date
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For the Free and Reduced Price School Lunch Program or School Breakfast t Program, documents can be from either the 2019-2020 or the 2020-2021 school years (Bayfield School will Provide this)
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For Federal Pell Grants, documents should be from the current award year
Document Examples and Tips:
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Benefit award letter
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Approval letter
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Statement of benefits
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Benefit verification letter
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For Federal Pell Grants, documents should be from this academic year and can include screenshots of a StudentAid.gov dashboard, or a copy of the email sent by the Department of Education about the EBB Program.
If you have any questions call Stevie Matier at 715 779 3201 ext 232 or email Stevie here .
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