Internet Bills In VA Could Spike After Federal Program Ends

VIRGINIA — Hundreds of thousands of Virginia residents could see their internet bills spike this month after a federal program that provided discounts to low-income households came to an end.

April was the last fully funded month of the Affordable Connectivity Program, a federal initiative created under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of 2021. The program provided a monthly discount on internet bills of up to $30 for eligible households and up to $75 for households on Native American tribal lands.

As of February, about 470,000 Virginia households relied on the program to pay for high-speed internet service, according to data from the Universal Service Administrative Co., an independent nonprofit organization overseen by the Federal Communications Commission.

Nationwide, more than 23 million households were enrolled in the program.

The program ended due to a lack of additional funding from Congress, according to the FCC.

"(Households) have contacted the agency to express concern about the impending end of the program, noting its impact on older adults, families with school children, and military families at risk of losing their internet service without the ACP benefit," FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a letter to Congress. "They worry that without ACP support they will lose access to employment, education, healthcare, and more."

Virginia received about $6.2 million in funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act "to plan for the deployment and adoption of affordable, equitable, and reliable, high-speed Internet service throughout the state," according to a Broadband USA report.

Virginia state officials estimated in 2021 that there were 233,500 households and businesses without high-speed internet access, the Virginia Mercury reported.

The Broadband Association of Virginia estimated in 2022 that the Commonwealth had 50,000 underserved homes, businesses and community institutions, the Mercury said.

Experts, however, worry that the end of the ACP could hamper efforts by state officials to ensure residents can afford high-speed internet.

"If we want to achieve a world where everyone has internet service, we need a program like the ACP," Drew Garner, director of policy engagement at the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, told Spotlight PA. "Affordability is the main thing keeping people offline, and that’s especially true in rural areas where a lot of this infrastructure money is targeted."

Earlier this year, a bipartisan group of lawmakers proposed a bill to sustain the ACP through the end of 2024 with an additional $7 billion in funding, $1 billion more than what President Joe Biden asked Congress to appropriate for the program at the end of last year, The Associated Press reported.

Despite the proposed bill, no votes on the legislation have been scheduled.

Officials have urged households to research other assistance programs available to help with internet costs, including the Lifeline program, which provides consumers up to $9.25 off phone or internet service.

More information on the end of the program and how it affects Maryland households is available online at fcc.gov/ACP and AffordableConnectivity.gov.