A Staggering 2.8 Million Californians May Lose Internet Service This Month

Can you imagine what life would have been like during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic without the internet? Thousands of us would have never experienced the cultural phenomena that was Tiger King. 

We’re joking. Sort of. But in all seriousness, without the internet and swift evolution of video conferencing software like Zoom and Microsoft Teams, millions of people would have struggled to keep up with their careers or classes. While the shutdowns were inconvenient for almost every single industry, the availability of reliable high speed internet allowed workplaces to pivot to work from home models. When it became clear that the spread of the coronavirus wasn’t going to conveniently slow down around the same time that Spring Break ended, schools took their students online too. 

Unfortunately, internet access wasn't a luxury that every family could afford. That’s why the Federal Government stepped in to fund the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP.) 

What Was the ACP?

Congress allotted $14.2 billion to a program that would allow eligible households to take advantage of a monthly discount of up to $30 for internet service. The discount rose to up to $75 for families living on Tribal Lands. According to the FCC, the program also offered discounts for the purchase of a device to connect to that internet service whether that be a laptop, desktop or tablet. 

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Millions of families took advantage of the program. In fact, WhistleOut has a state-by-state ranking of how many households were in the program. In Idaho, 51,663 enrolled for the help. More Californians reached out than residents in any other state. More than 2.8 million California homes have internet because of the ACP. 

In order to qualify for the program, your household income needed to be at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty guidelines. 

Why Would These Households Lose Internet Service?

It’s simple. The federal funds ran. As of February 7, the program stopped accepting new households. The FCC explains that unless lawmakers act to give the program additional funding, the full $30 discount will end at the end of April. There are some stipulations that would allow enrolled households to receive a partial discount in May. After that, they expect the money to be gone and the program to end entirely. 

If a household did not previously agree to continue internet service after the end of the ACP or hasn’t paid for their service, they’ll lose internet access. Some may not be able to afford to continue service without the discont. 

What Are My Other Options?

The FCC has another program called “Lifeline” that also offers a discount that can be applied to broadband internet service. Sadly, it’s significantly less than the ACP. It’s up to $9.25 per month for qualifying housefuls or up to $34.25 for those on Tribal Lands.