What happened to the Affordable Connectivity Program, and what replaced it
In short
- The ACP ended on June 1, 2024, because Congress did not add more funding. As of October 19, 2026, nothing federal has replaced it.
- The ACP paid up to $30 a month. Lifeline is still running but pays up to $9.25 a month and has a lower income limit.
- If you lost ACP, check if you qualify for Lifeline, ask your internet company for a low-income plan, and check your state.
On this page
If your internet bill jumped by about $30 in the summer of 2024, this is why. The Affordable Connectivity Program, or ACP, stopped paying on June 1, 2024. Nothing federal has taken its place as of October 19, 2026. Here is what it was, how it ended, how it compares with Lifeline, and what to do now.
What the ACP paid
The ACP was a federal discount on home internet or mobile data. It paid “up to $30 per month toward internet service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal lands.” It also offered “a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet” if the household paid between $10 and $50 toward it. One service discount and one device discount were allowed per household (FCC).
Many providers built plans priced at exactly $30, so for those households the internet was free. That is the money that disappeared.
Why it ended
Funding. Congress created the ACP with a fixed pot of money and never added more. USAC, which ran the program, puts it in one sentence: “The ACP ended on June 1, 2024, due to a lack of additional funding from Congress” (USAC). The FCC’s page says the same (FCC).
When the program stopped taking applications, “over 23 million households” were enrolled (FCC news release, May 31, 2024).
The wind-down timeline
| Date | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| January 11, 2024 | FCC issues the ACP wind-down order and tells providers to send notices to enrolled households | FCC |
| February 8, 2024 | Enrollment freeze. No new applications accepted | FCC |
| April 2024 | Last month with the full benefit. “April 2024 will be the last month for which ACP households can receive the full ACP benefit” | FCC DA 24-342 |
| May 2024 | Partial month. Maximum reimbursement cut to $14 (from $30), $35 on Tribal lands (from $75), and $47 for a device (from $100) | FCC DA 24-342 |
| June 1, 2024 | Program ends | USAC |
Providers were allowed, but not required, to cover more of the May gap themselves (FCC DA 24-342).
What happened to people who were enrolled
Three things could happen to an ACP household, depending on the provider.
First, the bill went up. From June 2024 the household paid the provider’s normal price.
Second, some providers moved customers to their own low-income plans. The FCC said it “encouraged providers to offer their own low-income programs or low-cost plans” and to tell ACP subscribers about them (FCC news release).
Third, there was a protection against surprise bills. Providers were “prohibited from billing ACP households for more than what the household would pay had the full ACP benefit been applied to the bill if the household has not affirmatively opted in to paying a higher amount” (FCC DA 24-342). If that happened to you, you can still complain at fcc.gov/complaints.
Mobile customers who had both ACP and Lifeline through the same company kept the Lifeline part. That is why some free phone plans shrank from “unlimited” back to a few gigabytes in mid-2024.
ACP versus Lifeline
Lifeline is older, smaller and still running. The FCC was blunt: Lifeline “may alleviate some financial pressure for certain ACP households” but “it is not a replacement for the ACP” (FCC news release).
| What we compared | ACP (ended) | Lifeline (active) |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly benefit | Up to $30 | Up to $9.25 |
| Tribal lands | Up to $75 | Up to $34.25 |
| Device help | One-time up to $100 | None |
| Income limit | 200% of Federal Poverty Guidelines | 135% of Federal Poverty Guidelines |
| Qualifying programs | SNAP, Medicaid, SSI, housing, veterans, WIC, Pell Grant, school lunch, and more | SNAP, Medicaid, SSI, Federal Public Housing Assistance, Veterans Pension and Survivors Benefit, plus Tribal programs |
| Minimum mobile plan | No federal minimum | 4.5 GB data and 1,000 minutes a month |
| Per household | One | One |
Sources: ACP figures from the FCC and the New Mexico Legislature’s fiscal report on SB 152, which compares the two income limits. Lifeline figures from Lifeline Support and USAC.
The income gap matters. A household at 150% of the poverty line qualified for ACP but does not qualify for Lifeline on income alone. It can still qualify through Medicaid or SNAP. Survivors of domestic violence or trafficking get wider rules under the Safe Connections Act, including income up to 200%, WIC, school lunch, or a Pell Grant (Lifeline Support).
Has anything replaced it at the federal level?
No. As of October 19, 2026 there is no federal successor to the ACP. The FCC’s program page, last updated November 26, 2024, is archived and still describes the program as ended (FCC). A New Mexico legislative analysis from February 2026 puts it plainly: “Federal funding for broadband subscription subsidies ended when Congress defunded the federal Affordable Connectivity Program in 2024. The remaining Lifeline program provides insufficient subsidies for many low-income households” (New Mexico FIR, SB 152).
Bills to refund the program were filed in Congress in 2024. None passed. We could not find a bill enacted in 2025 or 2026 either. If that changes, we will update this page and the date at the top.
One Lifeline detail is worth knowing. On July 1, 2026 the FCC again paused its phase-out of voice-only support, so the $5.25 voice-only benefit “remains available to eligible consumers who subscribe to voice-only service through November 30, 2027” (USAC). The same July 1 order also froze the minimum plan standards in the table above until December 1, 2027 (FCC DA 26-651).
State programs worth knowing
A few states have built their own help. These are the three with the clearest rules on an official page.
| State | Program | What it gives | Who qualifies |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | California LifeLine Home Broadband Pilot | “Up to $20 subsidy for broadband service,” or up to $30 if bundled with voice from the same provider, plus up to $39 a year toward connection charges. A three-year pilot | Same rules as California LifeLine |
| New York | Affordable Broadband Act | Large providers must sell a 25 Mbps plan for no more than $15 a month, or a 200 Mbps plan for no more than $20, taxes and equipment included | Someone in the household gets SNAP, Medicaid, SCRIE, DRIE, a utility benefit such as HEAP, or free or reduced school lunch |
| New Mexico | Low-Income Telecommunications Assistance Program (LITAP) | State-funded broadband subsidy. $10 million in year one, up to $45 million after. Effective July 1, 2026 | Need-based assistance through the Health Care Authority, a household with an at-risk student, or Lifeline eligibility |
Sources: CPUC, ACCESS NYC, New Mexico FIR, SB 152.
Two cautions. New York’s program is a price cap, not a payment. You still pay the $15 or $20. And New Mexico’s program is new. When we checked, the state broadband office’s affordability page still listed old ACP steps pointing to ACPBenefit.org, which no longer enrolls anyone (Connect New Mexico). Ask the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission how to enroll instead.
What to do now if you lost ACP
- Check whether you qualify for Lifeline. Use our eligibility tool. The quickest routes are SNAP or Medicaid in the household, or income at or below 135% of the poverty line.
- Apply once, through the National Verifier. The official application is at getinternet.gov/apply, the FCC’s official National Verifier site. You can also apply by mail or through a provider. Oregon and Texas residents apply through their state sites (Lifeline Support).
- Pick where the $9.25 does the most good. It goes on a mobile plan or home internet, not both. For most people a free phone plan uses it best, because providers turn $9.25 into a full plan. On a home internet bill it is only a $9.25 discount.
- Ask your internet company for its own low-income plan. Many kept the plans they built for ACP. Our plans page lists the ones we have checked.
- Check your state. California, New York and New Mexico are in the table above. Our state pages cover the rest.
- Recertify every year. USAC or your state “will check to confirm you still qualify for the benefit.” Miss the deadline and you lose it (Lifeline Support).
Watch out for sites that still sell ACP
Some provider websites never removed their ACP pages. The FCC warns that some sites “continue to collect personal information from consumers seeking enrollment in ACP” and advises anyone who entered a Social Security number or bank details on such a site after February 8, 2024 to visit IdentityTheft.gov (FCC). We found ACP wording still live on at least one Lifeline provider’s site during our 2026 provider comparison. If a site asks you to apply for ACP today, close it.