NDIA’s Affiliates aim to provide ACP participants with a suitable alternative as the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) ends in their communities. Before the pandemic, a few Internet Service Providers (ISPs) offered “low-cost plans” for low-income households. However, the plans varied widely in their offerings, administration, and eligibility requirements.
We spoke with the NDIA community to understand their requirements for a low-cost internet plan. In addition to a low-cost plan option, they strongly support a low-cost model that offers customers the flexibility to choose an internet plan that best suits their needs without the limitations of a traditional low-cost plan. ISPs could achieve this through a fixed discount that qualifying households can apply to any plan offered by an ISP. Based on the feedback we received, we created a Low-Cost Plan Model. Learn more on the Low-Cost Plan Model page.
If Congress doesn’t act and ACP lapses, NDIA urges providers to offer this Low-Cost Plan Model to qualifying households. This will prevent ACP beneficiaries from disconnecting their service once the program ends.
Visit NDIA’s Free & Low-Cost Internet Plans for more information about free and low-cost internet offers. Stay tuned for updates coming to the page soon!
There is still time for Congress to act to save the ACP! Learn more about NDIA’s work to advocate for the ACP. To learn more about the ACP Wind-down, visit ACP Transition.