Frank Mathews, Administrative Director of the Communication Workers of America District 4, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss the potential end to the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) and the plan’s possible extension.
Nearly 23 million households can no longer afford high-speed internet access after recent news that funding for the ACP has expired. Mathews explained what happened in Congress that led to no further funding for the plan. The program was funded through April 2024, but because there were no funding continuances from Congress, May will be the final month of the program.
This impacts households without broadband access and negatively affects internet service providers and telecommunications companies, as they are losing a guaranteed source of revenue from the $30-a-month plan for each household. With that lack of revenue coming in, this also discourages these companies from trying to establish broadband networks in rural areas.
Finally, Mathews discussed a proposed extension, the Bipartisan Affordable Connectivity Program Extension, that could save the program. The extension would provide an additional $7 billion. Mathews discussed a press release from Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09) urging their colleagues to pass the extension. According to Mathews, nearly 58 percent of the voting public supports the program's continuation. The removal of ACP would be far more detrimental to the future of the American economy, said Mathews.
For more on the ACP and extension, please listen to the show above.