RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Nearly 900,000 people in North Carolina benefit from a federal internet discount program, but they could lose access to it if lawmakers choose not to fund it any longer.
The Affordable Connectivity Program is a pandemic-era program that received funding in 2021 from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. It provides discounts to low-income households who struggle to afford reliable high-speed internet.
Since its inception, the Biden administration claims more than 22 million Americans across the country have benefited from it.
The program could now be in trouble. The Federal Communications Commission is anticipating existing funds will run out in April if Congress does not provide additional money for it. That means new and existing enrollees would be forced to pay the full cost of service.
FCC Chairwomam Jessica Rosenworcel is supporting the Affordable Connectivity Program Extension Act, which could provide an additional $7 billion in funding for the ACP.
“The Affordable Connectivity Program is connecting millions and millions of households across the country. 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,” said Rosenworcel. “Disconnecting millions of families from their jobs, schools, markets, and information is not the solution. We have come too far with the ACP to turn back.”