1 in 9 households in Colorado benefit from program funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Coloradans received over $122 million, saving $7 million each month
Without long-term sustainable funding, millions of Americans’ internet access will be cut off
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper applauded the resounding success – and called for the extension – of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) which has now reached 250,000 low-income households in Colorado and delivered over $122 million in savings on the cost of high-speed internet service for Coloradans. The program was created under the Hickenlooper-authored Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. In total, the ACP is helping Colorado families save roughly $7 million each month.
However, the ACP will experience a lapse in available funds this spring if an extension is not passed, threatening to cut off millions of Americans’ access to the internet. Hickenlooper has called for the long-term sustainability of the ACP to continue supporting high-speed internet access for millions of Americans.
“Work, school, telehealth, and social lives hinge on access to affordable, high-speed internet,” said Senator Hickenlooper. “Thanks to our Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, more Coloradans can afford to be connected! We shouldn’t let this program lapse and leave millions of Americans high and dry.”
ACP is the largest high-speed internet affordability program in the nation’s history, created as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which Hickenlooper helped negotiate and write as part of the G-22 group of senators. Hickenlooper also served on the G-22’s broadband working group which specifically created the historic ACP. In 2022, President Biden invited Hickenlooper to the White House for the launch of the ACP.
To be eligible for the program, the household must have an income at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level, a member of the household must participate in a specific federal assistance program, or meet eligibility criteria for an existing low-income internet program from a participating broadband provider.
Nationally, the ACP has already helped 23 million households – 1 in 6 households across America – save $30-$75 each on their monthly internet bills.
Experts previously estimated that 48 million households – or nearly 40% of households in the country – qualify for the program. Hickenlooper is the co-author of the bipartisan Reforming Broadband Connectivity Act, which would direct the Federal Communications Commission to complete a rulemaking to fund critical programs that make internet service accessible and affordable for Americans.
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