Life After the ACP Means Tough Choices to Stay Online

When the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) ended in April 2024, a well-known financial juggling act ensued. Low-income recipients, now left to pay for their internet services without assistance from the federal program, shuffled payments, negotiated discounts, haggled, and stretched their limited financial resources to remain connected, a recent AARP study showed. The study found that internet access has become deeply embedded in daily life. Participants described it as critical for everything from health and caregiving tasks to education, money making and savings, and maintaining social ties. Faced with having to cover the full financial cost of having internet access, people fought to pay for it. Some tried doing without. Two participants initially canceled their service, but soon realized it wasn’t sustainable, and they reconnected. Argy compared internet service to running water or electricity: “It’s just a necessity now,” he said. The researchers heard the clear need to maintain internet connectivity.