Map Shows Where Internet Service Fees Are Due to Rise

The Affordable Connectivity Program, which provides discounted internet access to millions of Americans, could end on April 30 after Congress failed to approve additional funding.

According to the Federal Communications Commission, the program's funds are projected to expire at the end of April, meaning millions could lose access to discounted high-speed internet. A map below shows which states may be most affected if the program ends.

The ACP helps 23 million qualifying low-income households in most places save $30 per month on their internet bills, and up to $75 for households on qualifying tribal lands, according to the White House.

Read more: Best High-Speed Internet Providers

The program is present in every state, so if its funding runs out, the effects could be widespread—with experts warning that the loss of the ACP could widen the digital divide.

If the ACP runs out of funding, Louisiana is expected to be most widely affected, as about 30 percent of households are enrolled in the program, the White House reported.

Other states that would be significantly affected by the loss of subsidized internet access include Kentucky, Michigan, Nevada, New York and Ohio, with one in four households in those states using the program.

North Dakota and South Dakota—where, respectively, 5.4 percent and 6.6 percent of households have signed up for the program—are expected to be the states least affected by the loss of the ACP.

The program, which was enacted as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in 2021, initially received $14.2 billion in funding. The White House said in a statement that a request for Congress to extend funding by $6 billion in October 2023 had not been acted upon.

"Without action from Republicans in Congress, this program will sunset later this spring and tens of millions of Americans may no longer be able to afford high-speed internet service," the statement said.

A bill to extend the ACP—introduced by Democratic Representative Yvette Clarke of New York and Republican Representative Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania—now has 228 co-sponsors, including 22 Republicans.

Earlier this month, Clarke urged her colleagues to sign a discharge petition to force a floor vote on extending the ACP. She said the bill was also supported by over 400 organizations.

Blair Levin, a senior fellow at Brookings and former FCC chief of staff, previously told Newsweek that despite the bill's bipartisan support, it might not become law.

"The only reason it's not going to pass the House is because the speaker will not let it on the floor," Levin said. "A minority of the House has decided we should not have it; it's not a majority, and there's a lot of political support for the extension."

Newsweek has contacted House Speaker Mike Johnson's press secretary for comment via email.

In a paper published in February, researchers at George Mason University in Virginia estimated that the ACP added $3.89 to America's GDP for every dollar spent.

A recent survey of ACP participants found that 65 percent feared that without the program, they would lose their jobs or their households' primary source of income; 75 percent feared losing access to important health care services; and 81 percent of ACP parents worried their children would fall behind in school.

On February 8, the ACP stopped accepting new enrollments because of a lack of funding, and the program's future remains unclear.