The Federal Communications Commission announced on January 11, 2024 that it projects funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) will run out by April 2024, absent Congressional approval of additional funding for the program. To prepare ACP households for the end of ACP, the FCC has announced wind-down procedures designed to notify ACP households and prepare them for the transition.
ACP providers should review the wind-down procedures and be prepared to comply with the notice and transition procedures. The anticipated wind-down timeline circulated by the FCC is:
- January 25, 2024 - Deadline for first of three required provider notices to ACP households, which must be provided no later than 14 days after release of the Order.
- February 7, 2024 - Final day for households to enroll in the program. The Bureau and USAC will stop reviewing new provider application and election notices, as well as applications for alternate verification processes at 6:00 p.m. EST. USAC systems will become unavailable for consumer application and enrollment processing, effective 11:59 p.m. EST.
- February 8, 2024 - ACP enrollment freeze begins and no new providers will be approved to participate in the program.
- Late February 2024* - Anticipated timing of Bureau announcement of last fully funded month of ACP and projected amount available for reimbursement after the last fully funded month, if applicable. Second of three required provider notices to ACP households must be provided no later than 15 days after the Bureau announcement.
- April 1, 2024 - Participating providers must submit to USAC their reimbursement claims for discounted service provided to households for the February 1 uniform snapshot date and all claims and upward revisions for preceding months.
- April 2024* - Projected final service month for which ACP can fully reimburse providers for ACP discounts.
- May 2024* - Partial provider claims for discounted service provided during this month may be available if funding remain
* Assuming a last fully funded month of April 2024
For more information about the FCC’s announcement, contact an attorney in our Broadband, Spectrum, and Communications Infrastructure practice group.
