The FCC is preparing for an end to its Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). According to Whitehouse officials, the ACP subsidizes the cost of broadband for roughly one in five New Mexicans, and officials are calling for an extension to the program’s funding.
According to data from the FCC, over 184,000 New Mexico households are enrolled in the Affordable Connectivity Program, which is meant to help Americans save between $30 and $75 per month on high-speed internet costs. But without congressional funding, the program will be fully ending by May, according to Whitehouse officials.
Steve Benjamin, a Senior Advisor to President Joe Biden and the Director of the Office of Public Engagement at the White House, said a lack of action by Congress would harm traditionally underserved communities.
“These disparities disproportionally impact communities of color, veterans and military families, rural communities, and older Americans,” Benjamin said. “This week, the Federal Communications Commission will be sending letters to Congress by members in their districts, hearing directly from their own constituents about the benefits of this program, underscoring that if they fail to pass legislation extending funding for ACP, their constituents will lose access to this benefit in the coming weeks.”
According to Whitehouse data, New Mexico has received nearly $137 million in funding from the ACP since it was signed into law in 2021, and said without the subsidies, thousands of families in the state could lose access to affordable broadband by the end of the month.
