ACP Funding is Still a Good Idea, Even for the Current GOP

The shutdown of the Affordable Connectivity Program, following Congress’ failure to fund the program, directly impacted millions of Americans. The ACP was both popular and cost-effective, bringing new economic opportunities to those who most needed them. While many former recipients had hoped the program would eventually be funded, the mass defunding of federal programs by Elon Musk and the Donald Trump Administration has shattered those expectations. 

Despite the current direction of both the White House and Congress, funding the ACP is still the smart move. Whether your focus is on struggling American families, fiscal responsibility, or good old tax cuts, funding the ACP makes sense.

Where we are at

Starting in 2022, the ACP continued and expanded the previous low-income internet subsidies signed into law toward the end of the first Trump administration. The program was incredibly successful in its goal of keeping Americans connected to the internet following the COVID-19 pandemic, but it was shut down in 2024 as Congress failed to approve funding for the program. When the program ended, over 23 million households were enrolled in the ACP, with many of the recipients made up of military families, households with seniors, and households in rural areas.

While the Republican-controlled House ultimately stalled any funding bills until it was too late, both parties made attempts to fund the program. The most successful was a bipartisan, bicameral bill notably co-sponsored by now Vice President JD Vance.

Following Donald Trump’s election victory, I was hopeful that due to the ACP’s similarity to Trump-era policies, its importance to Red States, and its place in Vance’s legislative priorities, there was at least some chance that it would either be revived or replaced by a similar assistance program. Two months into the second Trump presidency, it seems much less likely.

Going in the opposite direction

To say that the weeks since President Trump’s inauguration have been chaotic is an understatement, but the closest thing to a throughline in all the havoc is the dismantling and defunding of government institutions in the name of efficiency. The new administration, along with Elon Musk, have attempted to gut nearly every agency in the Federal Government with varying degrees of success.

With continued funding now in jeopardy for entire departments and the jobs of thousands of government employees up in the air, I doubt that the White House will give a second thought to re-funding a program like the ACP. But it’s also not their job. Like all government funding, the responsibility for funding the ACP lies with Congress. And even if every Republican were in lock-step with the priorities of the Trump Administration, funding the ACP would still be in their best interests.

The ACP pays for itself … and then some

Whether you take the Republicans’ goal of improving government efficiency at face value or ascribe a more cynical motivation, funding the ACP still makes sense because the program more than pays for itself. A recent study by the Brattle Group found that for the modest annual cost of $7.3 billion, the ACP, if restored, could create economic benefits including $28.9–$29.5 billion in annual healthcare cost savings,  $3.7 billion annually from wage gains from education, and $2.1–$4.3 billion from increased workforce participation. That’s a massive return on investment. Even helping a single Medicaid recipient to swap just one of their in-person medical visits for a telehealth appointment would save the government enough to fund that person’s ACP support for 3.5 years.

This study confirms what financial experts already knew—that expanding internet access to underserved populations is an investment that yields massive returns to the economy. This is why business leaders like Steve Forbes, Chairman of Forbes Media, were imploring Congress to fund the program before it was shut down. Even ignoring the huge benefits to recipients regarding health, education, and employment outcomes, funding the ACP is a fiscally sound policy that benefits the U.S. economy.

Why we need the ACP now

I don’t have high hopes for the ACP under the Trump Administration. Tariffs and trade wars certainly aren’t being motivated by rational, deliberative economic decision making, nor is the disruption of the government agencies that keep the country running. And it’s no surprise that no one is focused on the ACP as all eyes in Congress are watching the stock market swan dive into a recession.

However, as these economic consequences are felt by their constituents back in their home states, those in Congress are going to have to do something about it. They will need a way to relieve the financial burden on families. They will need a way to increase participation in the labor force. They will need a way to actually save money on other government programs. Funding the ACP helps to accomplish all of these goals, while also giving them an easy political win. 

I’m not claiming that the ACP is the most important program Congress needs to fund right now since it seems that every federal program is up in the air. But as U.S. tariffs and retaliatory measures from our trading partners start to take their toll on farmers, autoworkers, and other hard-working Americans, we will need to give them all the support we can.

Peter Christiansen writes about telecom policy, communications infrastructure, satellite internet, and rural connectivity for HighSpeedInternet.com. Peter holds a PhD in communication from the University of Utah and has been working in tech for more than 15 years as a computer programmer, game developer, filmmaker, and writer. His writing has appeared in Wired, Digital Humanities Now, and the New Statesman. This Expert Opinion is exclusive to Broadband Breakfast.

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