More Than 548K Louisiana Households Could Soon Lose Affordable Internet Access

A total of more than 548,000 Louisiana households could lose affordable internet access by the end of April when funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program runs out.

The ACP is set to expire at the end of April 2024, which would mean that the millions of seniors, veterans, and low-income Americans who depend on it may be out of luck if the program isn't renewed.

What is the Affordable Connectivity Program?

The Affordable Connectivity Program is an FCC benefit program that helps ensure that households can afford the broadband they need for work, school, healthcare, and more.

The benefit provides a discount of up to $30 per month toward internet service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal lands.

The ACP is limited to one monthly service discount and one device discount per household.

Eligible households were also able to receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers if they contributed more than $10 and less than $50 toward the purchase price.

How many Louisiana households will be affected?

A report by the analysts from WhistleOut showed that 548,192 households in Louisiana would be affected if the ACP program were to end.

To fund the program for another year though, it would cost about $19,349,120.

What about across the country?

Over the past two years, the ACP has helped 23 million households across the United States access low-cost internet service.

Currently, one in six households in the U.S. is enrolled with the ACP.

Below are the top 10 states with the largest number of ACP households that would be heavily affected if the program were to end:

1.  California: 2,803,599
2. New York: 1,701,192
3. Florida: 1,685,581
4. Texas: 1,666,632
5. Ohio: 1,141,482
6. North Carolina: 889,073
7. Michigan: 887,332
8. Pennsylvania: 737,194
9. Georgia: 699,446
10. Illinois: 676,391

Is there a chance that the ACP will be continued?

As of right now, it appears the answer is a simple "no."

On March 4, 2024, the FCC issued a Public Notice confirming that unless additional funding from Congress was approved, April 2024 would be the last fully funded month for the Affordable Connectivity Program.