Internet Bills In PA Could Spike After Federal Program Ends

PENNSYLVANIA — Hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvania residents could see their internet bills spike this month after a federal program that provided discounts to low-income households came to an end.

April was the last fully funded month of the Affordable Connectivity Program, a federal initiative created under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of 2021. The program provided a monthly discount on internet bills of up to $30 for eligible households and up to $75 for households on Native American tribal lands.

As of February, more than 600,000 Pennsylvania households relied on the program to pay for high-speed internet service, according to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.

Nationwide, more than 23 million households were enrolled in the program.

The program ended due to a lack of additional funding from Congress, according to the Federal Communications Commission.

"(Households) have contacted the agency to express concern about the impending end of the program, noting its impact on older adults, families with school children, and military families at risk of losing their internet service without the ACP benefit," FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a letter to Congress. "They worry that without ACP support they will lose access to employment, education, healthcare, and more."

The end of the program comes just as the state Broadband Development Authority approved more than $200 million in grants to internet service providers to bring broadband to 40,000 homes and businesses across 42 counties. Pennsylvania will also receive another $1.1 billion in federal funding within the next two years to aid in broadband expansion efforts.

Experts, however, worry that the end of the ACP could hamper Pennsylvania's efforts to ensure residents can afford the services these new networks offer.

"If we want to achieve a world where everyone has internet service, we need a program like the ACP," Drew Garner, director of policy engagement at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, told Spotlight PA. "Affordability is the main thing keeping people offline, and that’s especially true in rural areas where a lot of this infrastructure money is targeted."

Earlier this year, a bipartisan group of lawmakers proposed a bill to sustain the ACP through the end of 2024 with an additional $7 billion in funding, $1 billion more than what President Joe Biden asked Congress to appropriate for the program at the end of last year, The Associated Press reported.

Despite the proposed bill, no votes on the legislation have been scheduled.

In a recent statement, state officials urged households to research other assistance programs available to help with internet costs, including the Lifeline program, which provides consumers up to $9.25 off phone or internet service.

More information on the end of the program and how it affects Pennsylvania households is available online at fcc.gov/ACP and AffordableConnectivity.gov.