FCC Commissioner Anna M. Gomez, who was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in September, has joined calls to renew funding for the ACP.

Nearly 23 million households nationwide rely on the program, which provides a discount of up to $30 per month toward internet service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal lands, according to the FCC.

According to previous statements from FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, funding for the program will expire in April. As a result, the FCC has initiated procedures to prepare for the program’s end.

“We are at a critical time for the program and I am dismayed that the commission finds itself with no choice but to initiate the wind down process,” said Gomez in a statement released Jan. 11. “A loss of funding will mean a loss of trust in this public-private partnership that could squander this opportunity to close the digital divide.”

Gomez, a Democrat, said the ACP reaches to benefit “every corner of the country – from rural, urban, and suburban to communities on Tribal lands.”

“It has been key to connecting communities historically on the wrong side of the digital divide,” Gomez’s statement said.

Gomez said she remains hopeful the ACP will see renewed funding before the clock ticks out on the program. She applauded recent proposed legislation seeking to extend funding for the program.

Efforts to renew funding for the program include a push to approve The Affordable Connectivity Program Extension Act of 2024, which has been sponsored in the House of Representatives by members of Congress from both parties, like Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-NY) and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA).

If The Affordable Connectivity Program Extension Act of 2024 is passed, it would provide an additional $7 billion to fund the program, according to a release from Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT), who is co-sponsoring the legislation in the U.S. Senate.