SAN FRANCISCO, CA – February 8, 2024 – The No Home Left Offline Coalition has written to Congress, urging them to prioritize passage of [HR 6929 / S 3565], The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) Extension Act of 2024, and renew the ACP. If the ACP does not receive additional funding, 23 million households who rely on the program to get online and stay connected will face unexpected and unaffordable increases in their home internet bills.
The ACP is a $14.2 billion federal broadband benefit funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) that provides eligible households with a monthly discount of up to $30 per month (up to $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal lands) and a one-time $100 discount toward a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet. 51.6 million households, including 17.7 million unconnected households, are eligible for the ACP, making it a critical tool for closing America’s stubborn digital divide, two-thirds of which is due to affordability.
As the FCC stops accepting new enrollments to the program, the Coalition points to an imminent digital cliff for 23 million households relying on the ACP to cover the cost of their monthly internet service when funding runs out at the end of April 2024. They argue that if Congress does not pass [HR 6929 / S 3565], The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) Extension Act of 2024, those families will soon see a significant spike in their internet bill and potentially lose service entirely. A recent report suggests that 2024 could be the first year in history that fewer households are connected to the internet than in the previous year. This would occur just as states prepare to make the biggest broadband investments in history using their Broadband Access, Equity, and Deployment (BEAD) allocation.
The Coalition highlights that alongside inflation and economic uncertainty, a monthly increase of $30 per month, or up to $75 per month in tribal areas, is simply not what families need. With no clear path emerging to renew the funds, the Coalition is urging Congress to keep millions of Americans connected to the digital economy, education, healthcare, the social safety net, and critical government services.
The No Home Left Offline Coalition is a group of national non-profit organizations representing broadband, housing, healthcare, civil rights, municipalities, and education committed to advocating for the development, inclusion, and implementation of equitable policies that ensure that No Home is Left Offline.
View the letters here.
SIGNATORIES
#OaklandUndivided
Access Telecom
Access Wireless
A Freeman Ins Co & Driving School
Alaska Literacy Program
Allentown Digital Inclusion Initiative
Andrena
Barn Quilt Association of Garrett County, Inc.
Bausy Books Consulting dba CFO For Women
Black Star Telecommunications & Fiber Services Inc
BNT marketing
Brooksville Maine Broadband Committee
CASA, Inc.
Catholic Charities Denver
Center for Changing Lives
City of Racine Wisconsin
Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community
Coastside Hope
Common Sense Media
Community Action Partnership Sonoma County
Community Action Partnership of Utah
Compudopt
Computers 4 People
ConnectLakeCounty
Council for Affordable and Rural Housing
Council of Community Services
CSC Consulting Group
Cumberland Plateau Regional Housing Authority
Cunningham Telephone Company, Inc.
Delaware County Community Partnership
Digital Durham, Digital Equity Collaborative
Digital Harbor Foundation
Disability Network Washtenaw Monroe Livingston
Diversity Cyber Council
East Smithfield Public Library
Economic Action Maryland
EducationSuperHighway
El Raton Media Works
Excess Telecom
Excite Cooking Labs LLC
Garland County
Global Refuge
Gotham Food Pantry
Greater Pittsburgh Digital Inclusion Alliance
Harrisonburg City Public Schools
Idealect
Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies
Jonathan Rose Companies
Keystone Internet Coalition
Latinx Digital Leaders Now
LEARN – Lifelong Education and Aging Resource Network, Inc
Levine’s Enterprises LLC
Lily of the Valley Emmanuel Church Of Jesus Christi
Lyons Communications
Macon Housing to Success Inc.
Maxsip
Moline Housing Authority
Montana Community Action Network
MSK Community Center
Multicultural Media, Telecom, and Internet Council
My Care Companions
Mycelia Foundation
National Apartment Association
National Association of Elementary School Principals
National Association of Housing Cooperatives
National Catholic Educational Association
National Church Residences
National Multifamily Housing Council
NEK Community Broadband
Nextlink Internet
Northeast Kingdom Community Action
Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation
NPower
Oak Hill Collaborative
Open Tech Institute
Prime Nation
Project Ready
Reading Public Library
Satview Broadband Ltd
ScaleLIT
SGC
Shoes For Kids
St. Clement Manor
Stevens County Library
Tech Connect
Technology Learning Collaborative
Texas Rural Funders
The Open Door/Wellspring House
Town of Ordway
United Palatine Coalition
United Way of Northern Utah
US Ignite
USU Extension
Villa Comunitaria
West Custer County Library District
Westerly Public Schools
WinstonNet
Word Empowerment Church
Xyro Excuses
YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago
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