White House Press Release - Regional Highlight: President Biden Continues to Call on Congressional Republicans to Extend Funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program

President Biden and Vice President Harris have made historic progress lowering costs – including internet costs – for American families across the country. The Affordable Connectivity Program, the largest internet affordability program in our nation's history, has helped over 23 million households save $30-75 each per month on their monthly internet bills.

Since October, President Biden has been calling on Congress to extend funding for this program through 2024, and many Democrats in Congress have joined him in support. But Republicans in Congress have failed to act. Without action from Republican Members of Congress, millions of their own constituents will see their internet costs go up in the coming weeks – or they may lose access to high speed internet altogether.

President Biden continues to call on Republicans in Congress to join their Democratic colleagues and work to pass funding for this essential program.

See below for how this will affect millions of Americans across the states:

Spectrum: White House urges Congress to renew high-speed internet subsidy
[Susan Carpenter, 4/2/24]

"In the 21st century, affordable, reliable, high-speed Internet is essential," Senior Advisor to the President Stephen Benjamin said Monday during a press briefing. It's "necessary for Americans to participate in school, do their jobs, access health care and stay connected with their loved ones."

About half of those receiving the ACP benefit are military families and a quarter are seniors, the White House said. The rest are families with school-age children eligible for free or reduced-price lunches, low-income college students and households on tribal lands.

More than three quarters of U.S. states, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have ACP participation rates of 30% or more among eligible households.

City & State Pennsylvania: President Biden calls on GOP to extend funding for affordable internet program
[Harrison Cann, 4/2/24]

"Internet is necessary for Americans to participate in school, do their jobs, access health care and stay connected to loved ones, yet millions of Americans can't afford the cost of monthly internet connection – if they have access to connection at all," Stephen Benjamin, a Biden senior adviser, said during a press call Monday. "These disparities disproportionately impact communities of color, veterans and military families, rural communities and older Americans."

The $14.2 billion program, funded through this month, provides savings to more than 763,000 – or roughly 1 in 7 – Pennsylvania households.

KNPR (NPR Nevada statewide)

HOST: The Affordable Connectivity Program provides a 30 dollars subsidy for broadband and up to 75 dollars for tribal households, but funding runs out at the end of April. The Biden administration has proposed allocating 6 billion dollars to fund the program through the end of the year. GOP lawmakers who oppose more funding say the subsidies are an unnecessary expense for taxpayers. In Nevada, more than 275,000 households would lose access to the subsidy.

North Carolina Newsline: Biden administration calls on Congress to renew funding for internet access
[Ahmed Jallow, 4/2/24]

More than 900,000, or 1 in 5, households in North Carolina have access to affordable high-speed internet thanks to the Biden administration's Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). However, unless Congress extends funding for the program by the end of this month, many of these households could lose access to this service.

"If they don't, millions of their own constituents will be at risk of seeing their internet costs go up or seeing their internet quality go down" said an administration official. "It is past time for congressional Republicans to step up and prevent their constituents' internet costs from increasing after the next month and we are urging them to do so."

The Plain Dealer: Feds seek money to keep broadband subsidies for more than 1 million Ohioans from expiring in May.

[Sabrina Eaton, 4/2/24]

Unless Congress acts, more than 1 million Ohioans who get federally subsidized broadband internet service through the Affordable Connectivity Program will lose those benefits at the end of this month.

Texas Tribune: 1.7 million Texas households are set to lose monthly internet subsidy

[Pooja Salhotra, 4/2/24]

The $14.2 billion program… has helped 23 million households in the U.S — including 1.7 million in Texas.

"If Congressional Republicans fail to act, 23 million Americans, including millions of their own constituents, will lose access to affordable, high speed internet and may not be able to access the benefits that brings, like access to education, telemedicine, job opportunities and more," Stephen Benjamin, senior adviser to the president, said. "It's past time for Congressional Republicans to step up and prevent their constituents' internet costs from increasing in the coming weeks."

WBTW (CBS Myrtle Beach, SC): More than 415K in South Carolina could lose COVID-era internet subsidy this spring, White House says
[Adam Benson, 4/2/24]

Nearly a half million South Carolinians could soon lose access to an internet subsidy program… the White House said on Tuesday.

WJRT (ABC Flint, MI): Over 940,000 Michiganders could lose internet funding
[David Sackrider, 4/3/24]

Over 940,000 Michigan households could lose funding for high-speed internet.

"We can't turn our backs on service members and almost fifty percent of the households that are benefiting from the Affordable Connectivity Program are service members," said Tom Perez, Senior Advisor to President Biden.