NAA and a coalition of organizations submitted a letter to Senate Leadership regarding the prioritization of S. 3565, The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) Extension Act of 2024. The letter urges the Senate Leadership to pass this Act in order to keep 23 million households online and closing the digital divide. 

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February 9, 2024 

The Honorable Charles Schumer
Majority Leader
United States Senate
U.S. Capitol Building
Washington, D.C. 20510

 

The Honorable Patty Murray
Chair, Appropriations Committee
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510

 

The Honorable Dick Durbin
Democratic Whip
United States Senate
U.S. Capitol Building
Washington, D.C.20510

 

The Honorable Susan Collins
Vice Chair, Appropriations Committee
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Majority Leader Schumer, Whip Durbin, Chair Murray, and Vice Chair Collins,

The undersigned FCC Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) grantees, members of the No Home LeftOffline Coalition, and other organizations involved in ACP outreach and enrollment, write to you today to urge you to prioritize passage of S. 3565, The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) Extension Act of 2024. Without additional funding, the ACP will terminate at the end of April 2024, and 23 million households may be forced offline. The funding in this bill would allow the program to continue through most of 2024 and will prevent millions of Americans from facing sudden, unexpected, and unaffordable increases in their home internet bills. This program must be allowed to continue while advocates and policymakers work towards a more permanent solution.

Today marks a significant moment in the ACP; the FCC is no longer accepting new enrollments to the program, and program enrollees have already received at least one notification that their benefits will end, creating confusion in the market. Soon, these 23 million enrolled households will see a spike in their internet bill and potentially lose service entirely. 2024 could be the first year in history that FEWER households are connected to the internet than in the previous year. This will occur just as states are preparing to make the biggest broadband investments in history.

Our organizations are committed to closing the digital divide and ensuring that all households have access to adequate and affordable broadband connections. Together, we have helped enroll beneficiaries across more than 30 states, and have conducted hundreds of outreach and enrollment events. If Congress allows the ACP to expire, all of the progress made across the country may be lost. Further, this may cause distrust among enrollees; if the ACP, or similar broadband benefit, is created in the future, it may be significantly harder to reach these enrollees.

We look forward to working with Congress to achieve our shared goal of closing the digital divide and urge you to prioritize passing S. 3565, The Affordable Connectivity Program Extension Act of 2024, before current funding lapses.

Sincerely,

#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