ITIF Plan Would Drain Billions from USF to Fund New ACP
Group says the country needs to elevate affordability over availability

Group says the country needs to elevate affordability over availability
WASHINGTON, Jan. 15, 2025 – A new plan calls for sunsetting a major broadband deployment support program for rural America to fund a new program designed to make monthly broadband service affordable for millions of eligible households.
The Information Technology & Innovation Foundation released Monday a blueprint for revitalizing the Affordable Connectivity Program, which provided a $30 monthly discount on monthly broadband bills for low income. When the ACP ran out of money on May 31,2024, it was helping 23 million households.
The ITIF proposal – released by Director of Broadband and Spectrum Policy Joe Kane – was predicated on the belief that the availability was no longer causing digital divide issues, but rather the cost of service was the problem.
The city promises options ranging from symmetrical 300 megabits per second to symmetrical 1 gigabit per second.
BEAD should use all technologies, but not all technologies are equal.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr opposed moving forward with the $9 billion fund as a commissioner.
New report finds affordability mandate would cut less than 1% from top ISPs’ revenues.