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The Affordable Connectivity Program Is Over. Here’s Where You Can Still Get Cheap Internet
By Adam Hardy MONEY RESEARCH COLLECTIVE
Through the end of 2024, 14 internet companies have agreed to offer high-speed broadband plans for $30 or less per month with no fees or data caps.
More than a dozen internet service providers are now offering affordable internet plans to millions of low-income Americans as they lose access to a federal subsidy.
Through the end of 2024, 14 internet companies have agreed to offer high-speed broadband plans for $30 or less per month with no fees or data caps, the White House announced Friday.
The voluntary commitments from the telecom companies — which include major firms like AT&T, Comcast and Verizon — are in response to the end of the now-defunct Affordable Connectivity Program, an initiative that ran out of funding last week.
Launched by the Federal Communications Commission in December 2021, the ACP provided monthly discounts of $30 to $75 to over 23 million low-income households across the U.S. When it was established, many internet providers worked with the Biden administration to accept ACP benefits, crafting $30-per-month internet plans that essentially made internet free for millions of Americans.
Now that the ACP coffers have run dry, June marks the first month that all enrollees will receive an internet bill without the federal discount.
Internet plans for $30 a month — or less
With no new funding confirmed for the ACP, these internet service providers are stepping in to cushion the financial blow for low-income households looking to stay connected. Companies offering cheap internet plans include:
- Allo Fiber
- Altafiber (and Hawaiian Telcom)
- Astound Broadband
- AT&T
- Comcast
- Cox
- IdeaTek
- Mediacom
- MLGC
- Optimum
- Spectrum (Charter Communications)
- Starry
- Verizon
- Vermont Telephone Company
The discounted plans may not be available to every previous ACP recipient. Eligibility varies by location, household income and other factors.
Through Comcast (aka Xfinity), for example, some folks may qualify for a 10-megabits-per-second internet plan for $9.99 per month, with no credit check or cancellation fees, or a 100-Mbps plan for $29.99 per month. Similarly, AT&T offers a $29.99-per-month plan that advertises speeds up to 100 Mbps.
In some cases, the company will allow the discounted plans to be combined with benefits from Lifeline, a separate FCC-run benefit that discounts internet plans by up to $9.25 per month.
To sign up, select a company from the list above and check the price and eligibility details. Household income and receipt of a government benefit such as SNAP (aka food stamps) or Medicaid may need to be verified.
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Could the Affordable Connectivity Program come back?
It is possible that the ACP subsidy could return. In the Friday announcement from the White House, President Joe Biden renewed his call on Congress for $6 billion to fund the program.
Some lawmakers have already asked for even more than that. The program is popular among Democrats and Republicans alike. In January, a bill to infuse the ACP with $7 billion was introduced in both chambers of Congress with broad bipartisan support. However, the proposal has stalled since then.
In the meantime, folks have options to stay connected. If those who were enrolled in the ACP can’t afford their internet bill without the subsidy — or one of the discounted plans above — internet providers aren’t allowed to immediately disconnect the household. ACP protections keep homes online for up to 90 days past the missed bill’s due date.
Likewise, providers can’t charge cancellation fees to those who decide to end or change their internet plan early now that the subsidy has run out.
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Adam Hardy is Money's lead data journalist. He writes news and feature stories aimed at helping everyday people manage their finances. He joined Money full-time in 2021 but has covered personal finance and economic topics since 2018. Previously, he worked for Forbes Advisor, The Penny Hoarder and Creative Loafing. In addition to those outlets, Adam’s work has been featured in a variety of local, national and international publications, including the Asia Times, Business Insider, Las Vegas Review-Journal, Yahoo! Finance, Nasdaq and several others. Adam graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the University of South Florida, where he studied magazine journalism and sociology. As a first-generation college graduate from a low-income, single-parent household, Adam understands firsthand the financial barriers that plague low-income Americans. His reporting aims to illuminate these issues. Since joining Money, Adam has already written over 300 articles, including a cover story on financial surveillance, a profile of Director Rohit Chopra of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and an investigation into flexible spending accounts, which found that workers forfeit billions of dollars annually through the workplace plans. He has also led data analysis on some of Money’s marquee rankings, including Best Places to Live, Best Places to Travel and Best Hospitals. He regularly contributes data reporting for Best Colleges, Best Banks and other lists as well. Adam also holds a multimedia storytelling certificate from Poynter’s News University and a data journalism certificate from the Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) at the University of Missouri. In 2017, he received an English teaching certification from the University of Cambridge, which he utilized during his time in Seoul, South Korea. There, he taught students of all ages, from 5 to 65, and worked with North Korean refugees who were resettling in the area. Now, Adam lives in Saint Petersburg, Florida, with his pup Bambi. He is a card-carrying shuffleboard club member.