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As the potential end of the Affordable Connectivity Program draws closer, Broadband Communities takes a closer look at the list of top states and territories with the most households enrolled in the popular federal subsidy.
By: Brad Randall, Broadband Communities
As the calendar approaches April, the final month of funding for the Affordability Connectivity Program (ACP), Broadband Communities is taking a closer look at the top 15 states and territories with the largest share of enrolled ACP households.
The numbers below, from Feb. 2024, which list the top 15 states and territories by volume of households enrolled, are according to the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC). The USAC has tracked the total enrollment in the ACP, with a full set of data for all states and territories available at their website.
Going beyond the numbers
In total, over 23 million households are enrolled in the program, according to information on the website of the Joint Economic Committee, chaired by Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.).
Heinrich’s state, New Mexico, does not make the list below but, like many states not in the top 15, it still has hundreds of thousands of residents using cheaper internet thanks to the program. In New Mexico alone, 184,131 households rely on the ACP to help pay for internet, according to Feb. data from the USAC.
The ACP is a benefit program that offers eligible households discounts of between $30 to $75 per month for internet services, as well as providing one-time discounts on the purchase of laptops, tablets, and desktop computers.
Despite efforts to renew funding for the program, including 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), the Republican led U.S. House of Representatives has still failed to approve the measure.
As a result, the FCC has initiated procedures to prepare for the program’s end.
Households are eligible for the ACP if their income is at or below 200 percent of poverty guidelines set by the government. Advocates still remain hopeful the program will be renewed.
Here are the top 15 states and territories when it comes to the raw numbers of household enrollment in the program.
Top 15 states and territories with the highest number of ACP enrolled households:
15.) Kentucky – 455,685
14.) Virginia – 470,457
13.) Arizona – 522,188
12.) Louisiana – 558,780
11.) Puerto Rico – 664,623
10.) Illinois – 704,532
9.) Georgia – 722,473
8.) Pennsylvania – 763,742
7.) North Carolina – 901,394
6.) Michigan – 941,244
5.) Ohio – 1,157,054
4.) Florida – 1,707,857
3.) Texas – 1,718,552
2.) New York – 1,792,187
1.) California – 2,945,281
Source: USAC, Feb. 2024
ACP use is widespread, regardless of regional affiliation
Unsurprisingly, the most populus state in the union, California, tops the list. But also revealing is that states on the list are from a diverse grouping of regions across the United States. There are Southern states on the list, like Kentucky, Georgia, Louisiana, and North Carolina, just as there are northern states on the list, like New York, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.
The only geographical regions absent from the top 15 are the Pacific Northwest and the Great Plains states. Still, much like in New Mexico, hundreds of thousands in those regions rely on subsidies from the ACP. In Washington state alone, more than 358,000 households are enrolled in the program, according to USAC data.
Many in less populated states also rely on the ACP
Counting the states with the most households enrolled in the ACP, however, doesn’t tell the full story.
In Wyoming, the least populus state in the union, with less than 600,000 residents, more than 21,000 households rely on ACP subsidies.
With only a little more than 230,000 households in the Wyoming, according to the U.S. Census, the share of households in the state using the ACP to help pay for internet is approximately 9 percent, which would put Wyoming above the national average in regards to ACP-enrolled households.
According to the Joint Economic Committee, roughly 7 percent of the American population uses internet paid for in part by ACP subsidies.
Earlier this month, the FCC notified providers about the impending end of the program.
According to a study commissioned by the FCC, 68 percent of ACP households had inconsistent connectivity or zero connectivity before the program began and over 75 percent of ACP households expect their service will be disrupted if the ACP ends.
