On January 11th, the FCC announced that the ACP (Affordable Connectivity Program) is expected to end in April 2024 unless more funding is received. The information makes providers aware that they will need to “wind down” the ACP. Details went on to explain that the last fully funded month for the ACP will be April 2024. As a result, AcenTek customers who have the ACP discount will no longer see that discount on their bill after April.
The ACP is a program funded by the federal government, designed in December 2021 as an extension of the Emergency Broadband Benefit. These programs (first the EBB in May of 2021 and then the ACP) were created in response to the need for internet access by students during the pandemic and offered internet services at a reduced rate, saving the customer up to $30 per month.
AcenTek has no control over the survival of the program. This decision will impact all internet providers who have offered this program to their customers.
All providers are required to send customers at least 3 notices to inform them of the end of the ACP. AcenTek customers were mailed a letter in January, informing them of this news and what this means for them. More information will go out to customers giving them 60-day notice of the end of the program, and then a third notice will be given coinciding with their last bill where the full ACP benefit will be applied.