In August 2020, a viral picture of two grade school students sitting outside a Taco Bell to do their schoolwork during the Covid-19 pandemic drew attention to the need for affordable broadband internet access for all Americans. This image played a significant role in Congress including $14.2 billion in the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which provides monthly subsidies to over 23 million low-income households to help them afford broadband service. However, without additional funding, the ACP is at risk of running out of money, leaving millions of households without internet access once again.
The broad support for the ACP from governors, mayors, state legislators, and members of Congress across party lines indicates the widespread recognition of the importance of universal and affordable connectivity for a healthy society and economy. Efforts to secure funding for the program have been ongoing, but time is running out, and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has issued guidance to broadband providers on how to wind down the ACP. There is a bipartisan push to extend the program, but urgent action is needed to prevent low-income Americans from losing access to essential internet services.
Congress has empowered the FCC to ensure universal access to communications services through the Universal Service Fund (USF), which has played a crucial role in funding connectivity initiatives across the country. The USF has helped close the digital divide in rural, tribal, and remote areas, providing essential services to schoolchildren, library patrons, and low-income households. However, as more companies stop providing telephone services, funding for the USF is at risk, highlighting the need for modernization and expansion of the fund to include contributions from additional communications networks.
The FCC must take action to sustain and expand the USF to ensure the continued support for programs like the ACP that provide affordable internet access to low-income households. The funding levels proposed by Congress and the White House may only provide support for a year at most, underscoring the importance of long-term solutions to address connectivity needs. The FCC should start a proceeding to expand the base of companies contributing to the USF and replicate the subsidy provided by the ACP to ensure continued support for affordable broadband access.
Despite the allocation of $65 billion in funding for broadband deployment, affordability, and adoption in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, additional resources are needed to sustain programs like the ACP in the long term. The FCC has the power to modernize and expand the USF, and urgent action is required to prevent millions of households from losing affordable connectivity. By taking decisive steps to address the funding challenges facing the USF, the FCC can ensure that all Americans have access to essential communications services and bridge the digital divide.