Internet Service Providers Brace for End of ACP

The COVID-19 pandemic brought financial uncertainty to households across America. The Affordable Connectivity Program was the federal government’s answer to the hardship many people faced in affording internet service.

Now, a little over two years after its inception, the ACP is winding down.

Early February brought a freeze on new enrollments, and April is likely the last month the program will be fully funded, according to the Affordable Connectivity website. Customers who signed up for the program through an internet service provider prior to the freeze date of February 7 will continue to receive benefits.

Providers, in the meantime, are tasked with notifying ACP-enrolled customers about the wind-down. Our members are doing this via various media, including mailers, email, and social media.

TEC, with its customers across the Southeast, has mailed out several notice messages, along with electronic and paper bill messages according to customers’ preset preferences. Across its service territories in Tennessee and Kentucky, NCTC is also using bill messaging, along with mailers, emails, and social media. Twin Lakes, headquartered in Cookeville, is using mailed messaging and emails.

TEC customers will also receive a partial benefit for May. The amount of the discount may be less than they received under the ACP, but it will still cover a portion of the cost of their internet service for one last month.

Many customers have grown accustomed to having some help with internet costs, and it’s important they’re informed as the ACP ends. For customers who would like to seek additional assistance, there’s the Lifeline Support program. Those interested may visit the Lifeline Support website to see if they qualify.