Calls to renew internet affordability program intensify ahead of late-April funding cliff

A key internet subsidy program is set to run out of funds by the end of the month, with no clear sign that Congress will renew it, sparking increasingly urgent pleas for lawmakers to find a solution.

The Affordable Connectivity Program, which has subsidized internet access for as many as 23 million households since 2021, needs at least $6 billion to continue operating until the end of the year. Speaking at an event hosted by USTelecom on Thursday, FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks called the ACP “the most effective program we’ve ever had” for incentivizing low-cost internet plans, and he mourned the fact that its time could be running out.

“Within a few short weeks, millions of Americans will no longer have connections that they need to support their health care, their employment, their families, their education, and more,” he said. “The time is now, y’all, to act.”

A bipartisan, bicameral extension bill introduced in January aims to keep the program alive through the end of 2024 while Congress works out the details of how to fund the ACP long-term. Although the measure has steadily picked up steam, with more than 200 cosponsors in the House, Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, has not scheduled it for a floor vote.

Rep. Yvette D. Clarke urged her colleagues on Wednesday to support a petition that would bypass Johnson and strongarm a floor vote. In a statement, the New York Democrat called the ACP “a transformative force,” saying “we cannot turn our back on the progress made in closing the digital divide.”

On the Senate side, the extension measure picked up two new co-sponsors Tuesday: Kansas Republican Roger Marshall and Ohio Democrat Sherrod Brown.

A “Don’t Disconnect US” day of action on Wednesday urged people to contact their elected officials and advocate for continued ACP funding. Constituents sent more than 17,000 calls and emails through the advocacy portal dontdisconnectus.org, organizers told Tech Brew.

Speaking Thursday, Starks said that staying engaged on the Hill is imperative.

“I stand ready and willing, of course, to do whatever it takes to make sure that these congressional proposals bear fruit. We need your help,” he told the USTelecom audience. “We can’t give up until we see this thing through.”