How to Find a Cheap Internet Plan

Sarah Rogers (Getty Images) Facebook Twitter LinkedIn In this story Internet becomes essential • ACP money ending • Extension hope low • Cheap internet options • Lower-speed possibilities

Imagine losing something as basic as electricity or water because you can’t afford to pay.

That’s what could happen to millions of low-income American consumers on the verge of losing another must-have utility — high-speed internet — because of the imminent end of the federal

government’s subsidized Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP).

Especially since the start of the pandemic, high-speed internet has become as essential as any other household utility, enabling consumers to connect to education, entertainment, health care

and jobs that are integral to life today.

ACP’s end Subsidy money runs out

Nearly 4 in 5 of Americans agree or strongly agree that internet service is as important as water or electricity, according to an October Consumer Reports survey of more than 2,000 adults. 

But more than a quarter of the survey respondents say affording their monthly internet costs is somewhat or very difficult; 84 percent pay at least $50 a month for broadband access.

The question confronting many in the coming months: Once ACP is gone, how will I afford and find high-speed internet? Users can stick with plans they have through the ACP, but without the

subsidy they’ll likely have to pay $30 or more a month.

Major internet providers offer discounted rates outside the ACP. What you’ll pay, at which speed and the potential for data caps is worth looking into.

To enable consumers of all income levels to benefit from high-speed broadband, Congress passed the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in November 2021. It authorized

$30-a-month subsidies to qualified households based on income and other factors. Those on tribal lands could receive a $75-a-month subsidy toward their internet bill.

Thanks to the law, many of the 22.5 million program participants effectively paid nothing for monthly internet speeds that could reach up to 100 megabits per second (Mbps). Others received

access they would otherwise not be able to afford.

The ACP program is now on life support. The original $14.2 billion allocation for this program will be exhausted in late spring. As a result, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) program

administrators stopped accepting new applications in February, and unless additional money is allocated, April will be the program’s last full month.

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Government officials across the political spectrum have decried the situation. To attempt to keep the program going, a bipartisan group of senators and members of the House has introduced

the Affordable Connectivity Program Extension Act of 2024.