The federal government has made it a major priority to help households who are most in need gain access to the Internet. Congress recognized that almost everyone needs the internet today to succeed in school, work, to manage healthcare – almost every aspect of life.
This effort is called the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) and it is administered through the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The FCC partners with private companies to get the word out to underserved communities, to help households determine if they qualify, and then to ship them the tablet and instructions they need to start using their free internet service.
This program has been operating for years but it was expanded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 which appropriated $14.2 billion for the program and became known as the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP).
