The ACP cell phone program, formally the Affordable Connectivity Program, was a federal broadband subsidy that helped about 23 million low-income households pay for phone or home internet service before its funding ran out on June 1, 2024. While it operated, it took up to $30 off a household’s monthly bill, or up to $75 on qualifying Tribal lands, and offered a one-time discount of up to $100 toward a laptop, desktop, or tablet. The program no longer exists. No new enrollments, benefits, or reinstatements are available, and Congress did not extend it.
What the ACP Covered
The monthly discount applied to a household’s chosen internet or qualifying wireless plan through a participating provider. Most households received up to $30 off; households on Tribal lands received up to $75. Each household was limited to one monthly service discount and one device discount, and for the device benefit the household had to contribute between $10 and $50 toward the purchase price.1FCC. Affordable Connectivity Program
Enrollment ran through the National Verifier, the same platform used for the federal Lifeline program, either online at ACPBenefit.org or by mail. Approved applicants then contacted a participating internet or wireless provider to have the discount applied.2FCC. ACP Fact Sheet Of the 23 million households enrolled when the FCC froze new applications, roughly 13 million had wireless subscriptions and 10 million had wireline connections.3USAC. ACP Enrollment and Claims Tracker
Who Qualified
A household qualified if any member had income at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. That was a significantly higher threshold than the 135 percent cutoff Lifeline uses, which matters if you’re now comparing your options. A household also qualified through any member’s participation in SNAP, Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income, WIC, Federal Public Housing Assistance, or Lifeline itself. Households on Tribal lands had additional pathways through Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance, Tribal TANF, or the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations. Students receiving a Federal Pell Grant or children approved for free or reduced-price school meals also made their households eligible.2FCC. ACP Fact Sheet
Why the Program Ended
The ACP was created by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in November 2021 with a single $14.2 billion appropriation.4FCC. Affordable Connectivity Program By late 2023, the FCC could see that money running out. On January 8, 2024, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel warned Congress that the program had roughly four months of funding left. “The ACP is in jeopardy,” she wrote, “and, absent additional funding, we could lose the significant progress this program has made towards closing the digital divide.”5MeriTalk. FCC To Wind Down ACP Program Absent More Funding
A bipartisan bill, the Affordable Connectivity Program Extension Act of 2024, was introduced in both chambers on January 10, 2024, proposing $7 billion to keep the program running through the end of that year. The House version drew 216 cosponsors. It never passed and was not included in the FY 2024 appropriations package.6National Association of Counties. Congress Deliberates Future of Affordable Connectivity Program
The FCC froze new enrollments on February 8, 2024. Existing enrollees continued receiving the full benefit through April 2024, providers could seek reduced pro-rata reimbursement for a partial final month, and the program ended on June 1, 2024.7FCC. ACP Wind-Down Public Notice
What Replaced the ACP
Nothing replaced the ACP one-for-one. Former subscribers have to piece together coverage from a smaller federal subsidy, whatever transitional offers their carrier extends, and any state program that exists where they live.
Lifeline
The federal Lifeline program is the primary ongoing government subsidy for low-income phone and internet service. It provides up to $9.25 per month toward phone or broadband, or up to $34.25 on Tribal lands. There is no device discount. Eligibility is narrower than the ACP’s: household income at or below 135 percent of the federal poverty guidelines, rather than 200 percent.8FCC. ACP Wind-Down Lifeline Fact Sheet
Enrollment is not automatic. Former ACP recipients who want Lifeline have to apply separately through lifelinesupport.org or a participating provider, even if they previously qualified through the same National Verifier account.8FCC. ACP Wind-Down Lifeline Fact Sheet
Carrier Transition Offers
Some wireless carriers created plans aimed at former ACP subscribers. Boost Mobile kept a $15 per month plan available and gave former ACP subscribers on higher-tier individual plans a $15 monthly credit for three months, from July through September 2024.9Boost Mobile. Affordable Connectivity Program FAQ
Metro by T-Mobile introduced a $25 per month bring-your-own-device plan and expanded its Project 10Million initiative, which provides free hotspots with 100GB of annual data for up to five years to families with K-12 students who were previously enrolled in the ACP.10Metro by T-Mobile. Affordable Connectivity Program
Other providers have their own offers. If you were an ACP subscriber, ask your current carrier directly what remains available on your account.
State Programs
Several states have moved to fill the gap. California and Oregon have considered modifying their state Lifeline programs to supplement the federal $9.25 discount. New York, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania introduced legislation to establish independent state broadband subsidies. New York also has its Affordable Broadband Act, adopted in 2021, which requires internet providers to offer plans at $15 or $20 per month for low-income subscribers, though the law faces a legal challenge from ISPs.11Pew Charitable Trusts. States Reckon With Lapse of the Broadband Affordable Connectivity Program
BEAD Low-Cost Plans
The federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program funds infrastructure buildout and requires providers receiving BEAD grants to offer at least one low-cost service option meeting minimum speed and latency standards. In June 2025 the NTIA redefined BEAD’s “eligible subscriber” to match Lifeline’s criteria and prohibited states from setting specific rates for those low-cost plans, leaving pricing to the providers themselves.12NTIA. BEAD Restructuring Policy Notice BEAD is not a direct replacement. It applies only to households in areas served by BEAD-funded networks, and the discount is whatever the provider decides to charge.
If You’re Still Dealing With a Bill
Consumer protections built into the wind-down still matter if a former ACP household is being pursued for charges tied to the transition. Providers could not charge early termination fees to households whose contracts ended because of the program’s closure, and they could not disconnect service for non-payment until 90 days after the bill’s due date.13FCC. Affordable Connectivity Program Consumer FAQ Providers were also required to send written notices before the benefit ended: an initial notice by January 25, 2024, a second by March 19, 2024, and a final billing notice with the last cycle in which the full benefit appeared. If you were disconnected or charged in a way that appears to violate those rules, that history is worth raising with the provider or the FCC.