The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently announced the “Your Home, Your Internet” pilot program designed to raise awareness of and enrollment in the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) among households receiving federal housing assistance. The one-year pilot program will test strategies designed to make it easier for HUD-assisted households to learn about and enroll in the ACP. Tribal entities, state and local PHAs, as well as community partners will be eligible to apply for the pilot program.
The “Your Home, Your Internet” pilot program features enhancements that are designed to help ease the application and enrollment process for federal housing assistance recipients. State and local housing authorities, Tribal Designated Housing Entities, and other state, regional, or local government entities, as well as community partners are eligible to apply for the pilot. Pilot program applicants will be able to submit proposals for specialized ACP outreach efforts, including promotional materials that are directed to federal housing assistance recipients and organizations. Pilot participants are encouraged to propose application assistance tools which the FCC will evaluate. In addition, the FCC has set aside up to $10 million to support pilot-related activities. The Wireline Competition Bureau will provide more guidance on how to participate in the pilot program.
The application is expected to open in the fall. Learn more here.
Affordable Connectivity Program
The ACP provides a monthly discount of up to $30 per month (and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal lands) as well as a one-time $100 discount toward a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet. Under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a household may qualify for the ACP if at least one member of the household meets the qualifications for participation in the Lifeline program. Households that receive federal housing assistance are eligible for Lifeline and the ACP.
To date the ACP has supported over 13 million American households get affordable or zero-cost broadband access. At a recent White House event, President Biden announced that approximately 48 million households are eligible for ACP. Of that 48 million, nearly 5 million households are eligible because they receive federal housing assistance in the United States. However, of these nearly 5 million households, only approximately 500,000 have signed up for ACP support.
NTIA Webinar on Local Coordination
The National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA) is offering a webinar about successful local coordination and outreach activities specifically when engaging local governments, community groups, union and worker organizations, Tribal Governments, and underrepresented populations. The webinar will be held on September 28, at 2:30 pm ET.
Register for the Local Coordination webinar.
Broadband 101: Connectivity Solutions
ConnectHomeUSA is hosting a webinar, Tuesday, September 27, at 2:00 pm ET, featuring broadband experts Christopher Mitchell and DeAnne Cuellar from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) who will cover short and long-term connectivity solutions. Registration for the webinar is coming soon.