Latest news with #AffordableConnectivityProgram
CNET
27-05-2025
- Business
- CNET
The ACP 'Saved My Life': Real People Share the Real Cost of Losing Affordable Internet
"The ACP program really saved my life," said Dorothy Burrell, a 55-year-old from Kansas City. Burrell was one of the 23 million Americans enrolled in the Affordable Connectivity Program, a pandemic-era fund that helped low-income households pay for internet access. These days, Burrell teaches computer skills at the digital advocacy nonprofit Essential Families, but when day-to-day life went online during the pandemic, she suddenly found herself stranded without an internet connection. 'Because I have lupus, it was hard for me,' Burrell said. 'My pastor had to come and put the food outside for me when I couldn't even video her, to talk to her, to let her know, or keep in touch with my family and loved ones.' Former ACP enrollees have had to make a number of compromises to keep their internet on since it ended a year ago. A January survey from the National Lifeline Association found that nearly 40% of people enrolled in the program said they had to reduce spending on food to afford their new internet bill. 41% cut back on necessities like clothing, heat and doctor's visits. Another 18% said their kids had difficulty completing homework assignments. Locating local internet providers I believe truly that it was the most successful program we've ever had anywhere in our decades-long bipartisan effort to crack the digital divide. FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks But the number that stuck out to me the most was the 64% who said they're unable to maintain regular contact with family and loved ones. That was something I heard echoed by nearly every ACP user I spoke with for this piece: Life without an internet connection can be incredibly isolating. 'I live alone, and the computer's like my best friend," said Phyllis Jackson, a retired administrative assistant in Monroeville, Pennsylvania. 'I listen to YouTube a lot. I check my emails a lot. I'm constantly on there.' The ACP provided $30 a month to help low-income households pay for an internet connection, or $75 for people living on Tribal lands. The program accepted households at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines, or $60,000 for a family of four. Prices to get online have only gone up since it ended, with 63% of customers reporting higher internet bills than the year before in a recent CNET survey. Despite broad bipartisan support from voters -- and from former senator, now Vice President J.D. Vance, who co-sponsored a bill in 2024 to extend the ACP -- the program officially ran out of money one year ago. Starting in June 2024, ACP users were faced with a stark choice: find an extra $30 in their monthly budget or cut the cord on their internet connection entirely. 'It was just a sad moment,' Burrell said. 'I was praying that they'd let us keep it. But it was over.' In my seven years covering the broadband industry, I've heard over and over from experts that the reason most people don't have an internet connection isn't because it's unavailable -- it's just too expensive. The ACP was the first time the federal government seriously addressed the affordability side of the equation. 'It was a matter of having consistent access to the internet,' said Angela Siefer, executive director of the National Digital Inclusion Alliance. 'Internet access is not a 'you have it or you don't have it.' It's, 'Do you have what you need all the time, so that it is available when you need it?'' But that investment in affordability paled in comparison to the money devoted to expanding infrastructure. Of the $90 billion Congress devoted to closing the broadband divide in 2021, the ACP only accounted for $14.2 billion; the rest went to expanding internet access in primarily rural areas. 'The ACP was the most effective program I have ever seen for helping low-income Americans get online and stay online," said FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks at a roundtable hosted by Broadband Breakfast in February. 'In fact, I believe truly that it was the most successful program we've ever had anywhere in our decades-long bipartisan effort to crack the digital divide.' That's no exaggeration. One analysis by the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society found that a dollar spent on the ACP returns nearly two dollars in impacts to those using the program. Another study from The Brattle Group determined that the ACP generated nearly $30 billion in annual savings through improved access to telehealth services alone. In some ways, the ACP was a victim of its own success. Because it was a one-time appropriation, the subsidy was gone once the money was spent, and the outpouring of Americans signing up was beyond what anyone predicted. Internet service providers began notifying recipients in January last year that they'd lose the discount; by June, it was gone. Melvin Lewis was enrolled in the ACP through Computer Reach, a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit working to close the digital divide. David Freudberg / Human Media Millions disconnected: Isolation, less groceries, missed appointments We're still untangling the impacts of the ACP's end. Just how many people lost their internet connection as a result is the subject of some debate. Census data released last September indicated that 6 million Americans added internet subscriptions after the ACP was introduced in 2022. Then-FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel told Congress in November 2023 that between 20% and 22% of ACP subscribers had no internet subscription before the ACP. That translates to about 4.5 million households. Wherever the number lies exactly, we know that many millions of people crossed the broadband divide because of the ACP. But how many of them fell back in once the program ended? In a survey taken in its dying days, about 13% of ACP subscribers, or roughly 3 million households, said they would cancel their service after the subsidy ran out. (Another report predicted the number would be twice as high.) Those projections are no longer theoretical. A recent Ookla report found that the broadband divide grew in 32 states in the second half of 2024, which lines up almost exactly with the ACP's end. (Disclaimer: Ookla is owned by Ziff Davis, the same company that owns CNET.) 'We suspect that some of this [broadband divide] was attributed to the ACP ending,' Sue Marek, editorial director at Ookla and author of the report, told CNET's Cierra Noffke in a previous interview. They're going back to what they were doing before, which is using their phones as a hotspot, using their neighbor's connection if they can, driving or walking to the library or Starbucks. Kami Griffiths, executive director of digitalLIFT ISPs have also noted losses since the ACP ended, even though many offered their own discounted plans for low-income customers. Spectrum attributed around 200,000 lost subscribers to the end of the program, while Xfinity shed around 79,000. Melvin Lewis, a retired musician who lives alone in Pittsburgh and was enrolled in the ACP, said he would only cancel his internet as a last resort. 'It's extremely important for me,' he said. 'I absolutely need this internet. It keeps me connected to the rest of the world.' For those ACP subscribers who couldn't afford to keep their internet connection, many are reverting to old strategies for getting online. 'It's really sad. People just can't afford it anymore,' said Kami Griffiths, executive director of the digital equity nonprofit digitalLIFT. 'They're going back to what they were doing before, which is using their phones as a hotspot, using their neighbor's connection if they can, driving or walking to the library or Starbucks.' Other options, but nothing as consistent Since it ended, many former ACP enrollees have switched to low-income internet plans offered directly by providers, which can be less reliable than a federal government subsidy. Karen Kama, a 68-year-old digital skills student with the Reading Public Library, told me that she uses Comcast's low-income plan, which is available to anyone who receives a social service benefit like Medicaid or public housing assistance. She said her monthly payment has already increased from $10 to $15 since she enrolled. 'If they go up again, I'm just going to have that shut off,' Kama said. 'I'm on a fixed income. I can't let nothing get out of hand. So if they go up again, then I'm just going to delete that, give them back their box and see if I can do something else.' Another issue with these plans is that they often don't allow you to participate if you have an outstanding balance on your account. 'If you lose your job and miss a bill, you're not eligible for their low-cost plan,' said Drew Garner, a director of policy engagement for the nonprofit Benton Institute for Broadband & Society. 'The existing low-cost plans are a drop in the bucket. The ACP was the real key.' What we would hear last summer, when we'd go to the Hill, was, 'Well, you know, since the ACP ran out of funding, we haven't heard from anyone.' No kidding, because they don't have a way to get in touch with you. Danielle Perry, board member with The National Lifeline Association Since the ACP ended, a number of cities and states have also created their own internet subsidies. Before the ACP ended, New York state began requiring internet providers to offer plans for low-income households starting at $15 a month, which the Supreme Court upheld in December 2024. Similar legislation is on the table in California, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota and Vermont. 'It's clearly on the minds of policymakers,' said Jake Varn, an associate manager with The Pew Charitable Trusts' broadband access initiative. 'There's generally a wave of recognition that affordability is a real, serious challenge.' But this piecemeal approach has its downsides, too. 'What New York has is an incredible solution,' Siefer said. 'But is that ideal that we do this, state-by-state? Absolutely not. We really need to have one solution across the country.' While there have been several ACP extension bills introduced over the past year, none of them have made it out of committee. Broadband funding generally doesn't grab headlines -- recent presidential social media posts aside -- and some observers think Congress has been content to let the issue peter out. 'What we would hear last summer, when we'd go to the Hill, was, 'Well, you know, since the ACP ran out of funding, we haven't heard from anyone,'' said Danielle Perry, a board member with the trade group The National Lifeline Association. 'No kidding, because they don't have a way to get in touch with you.' The vast majority of federal broadband spending goes toward expanding infrastructure in rural areas, not affordability. deepblue4you/Getty Images A loss of trust There have been a few glimmers of an ACP revival over the past year, but the community organizations I spoke with said it wouldn't be easy to re-engage those 23 million homes. 'It took a lot of work to get people signed up, and it took a lot of organizations putting their legitimacy on the line,' said Revati Prasad, executive director for the nonprofit Benton Institute for Broadband & Society. 'There's this loss of trust.' If this is so important, who's fighting for us to keep it? Melvin Lewis, former ACP user According to a (since-deleted) White House fact sheet, 1 in 4 households participating in the ACP program were Black, 1 in 4 were Latino and nearly half were military families, along with 4 million seniors and 10 million Americans over the age of 50. Melvin Lewis, the retired musician in Pittsburgh, initially got enrolled in the ACP through Computer Reach, a local nonprofit working to close the digital divide. 'How it was sold to me was like, this is for older people, people in the rural areas, and it's especially important for us to have,' he said. 'Then they just take it away. If this is so important, who's fighting for us to keep it?' This was echoed in my conversations with people on the ground who worked to enroll ACP users. Getting people signed up was a huge undertaking, and there's no guarantee that it would be as successful a second time around. 'They stuck their necks out for the program. They were trusted messengers,' said Daiquiri Ryan Mercado, strategic legal adviser and policy counsel for the National Hispanic Media Coalition. 'And then it kind of just ended with a very short off-ramp period.' 'Can't live without it' Each of those 23 million ACP users has a unique story, but a common theme emerged in my conversations: the internet was essential for them, and they were willing to make big sacrifices to stay online. When I asked Phyllis Jackson whether she ever thought about canceling her internet after the ACP ended, she seemed shocked that I would even ask. 'Oh no! I can't live without it,' she said. 'I will find some way -- cutting down on food or heat or whatever. Because it's really necessary.' Dorothy Burrell, the digital navigator with Essential Families in Kansas City, gave me the same answer. 'Never. Never. You need it. You need the internet no matter what," she said. Melvin Lewis said he would only cancel his internet as a last resort. 'Internet is something you just absolutely have to have,' he said. 'It's like having lights or water or sewage. I don't know how people get along without it.' What other low-income internet options are available? There's no one resource that's been a substitute for the Affordable Connectivity Program, but there are several options available that can help low-income families pay for internet. Here's what's out there: Lifeline : This federal subsidy provides $9.25 per month toward phone or internet services, but the income requirements are lower than the ACP's: 135% of the federal poverty guideline, or $43,402 for a family of four. You can also qualify if you participate in Federal Public Housing Assistance, Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Supplemental Security Income, Tribal-specific programs or the Veterans Pension and Survivors Benefit Programs. : This federal subsidy provides $9.25 per month toward phone or internet services, but the income requirements are lower than the ACP's: 135% of the federal poverty guideline, or $43,402 for a family of four. You can also qualify if you participate in Federal Public Housing Assistance, Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Supplemental Security Income, Tribal-specific programs or the Veterans Pension and Survivors Benefit Programs. State and local resources: Many states and cities created their own low-income internet subsidies after the ACP ended. The best way to find local programs is by searching "[location] internet resources" in Google. You can also use CNET's guide to low-income internet options in all 50 states. Many states and cities created their own low-income internet subsidies after the ACP ended. The best way to find local programs is by searching "[location] internet resources" in Google. You can also use CNET's guide to low-income internet options in all 50 states. Low-income plans from internet providers: Many internet providers had their own discounted plans before the ACP, and they started offering them again after it ended. The National Digital Inclusion Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to closing the digital divide, developed a scoring system called Grading Internet for Good based on factors like cost, transparency and plan performance. You can see these ratings in the table below, along with some basic information about each plan. To find which providers are available in your area, put in your address on the FCC's broadband map. This will give you a list of every provider that serves your home. To see what plans are available, you'll have to enter your address on each provider's website individually.
CNET
27-05-2025
- Business
- CNET
The ACP "Saved My Life": The Human Cost of Losing the Affordable Connectivity Program One Year Later
"The ACP program really saved my life," said Dorothy Burrell, a 55-year-old from Kansas City. Burrell was one of the 23 million Americans enrolled in the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), a pandemic-era fund that helped low-income households pay for internet access. These days, Burrell teaches computer skills at the digital advocacy nonprofit Essential Families, but when day-to-day life went online during the pandemic, she suddenly found herself stranded without an internet connection. 'Because I have lupus, it was hard for me,' Burrell said. 'My pastor had to come and put the food outside for me when I couldn't even video her, to talk to her, to let her know, or keep in touch with my family and loved ones.' Former ACP enrollees have had to make a number of compromises to keep their internet on since it ended a year ago. A January survey from the National Lifeline Association found that nearly 40% of people enrolled in the program said they had to reduce spending on food to afford their new internet bill. 41% cut back on necessities like clothing, heat and doctor's visits. Another 18% said their kids had difficulty completing homework assignments. Locating local internet providers I believe truly that it was the most successful program we've ever had anywhere in our decades-long bipartisan effort to crack the digital divide. FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks But the number that stuck out to me the most was the 64% who said they're unable to maintain regular contact with family and loved ones. That was something I heard echoed by nearly every ACP user I spoke with for this piece: life without an internet connection can be incredibly isolating. 'I live alone, and the computer's like my best friend," said Phyllis Jackson, a retired administrative assistant in Monroeville, Pennsylvania. 'I listen to YouTube a lot. I check my emails a lot. I'm constantly on there.' The ACP provided $30 a month to help low-income households pay for an internet connection, or $75 for people living on Tribal lands. The program accepted households at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines, or $60,000 for a family of four. Prices to get online have only gone up since it ended, with 63% of customers reporting higher internet bills than the year before in a recent CNET survey. Despite broad bipartisan support from voters -- and from former senator, now-Vice President J.D. Vance, who co-sponsored a bill in 2024 to extend the ACP -- the program officially ran out of money one year ago. Starting in June 2024, ACP users were faced with a stark choice: find an extra $30 in their monthly budget or cut the cord on their internet connection entirely. 'It was just a sad moment,' Burrell said. 'I was praying that they'd let us keep it. But it was over.' In my seven years covering the broadband industry, I've heard over and over from experts that the reason most people don't have an internet connection isn't because it's unavailable -- it's just too expensive. The ACP was the first time the federal government seriously addressed the affordability side of the equation. 'It was a matter of having consistent access to the internet,' said Angela Siefer, executive director of the National Digital Inclusion Alliance. 'Internet access is not a 'you have it or you don't have it.' It's, 'Do you have what you need all the time, so that it is available when you need it?'' But that investment in affordability paled in comparison to the money devoted to expanding infrastructure. Of the $90 billion Congress devoted to closing the broadband divide in 2021, the ACP only accounted for $14.2 billion; the rest went to expanding internet access in primarily rural areas. 'The ACP was the most effective program I have ever seen for helping low-income Americans get online and stay online," said FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks at a roundtable hosted by Broadband Breakfast in February. 'In fact, I believe truly that it was the most successful program we've ever had anywhere in our decades-long bipartisan effort to crack the digital divide.' That's no exaggeration. One analysis by the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society found that a dollar spent on the ACP returns nearly two dollars in impacts to those using the program. Another study from The Brattle Group determined that the ACP generated nearly $30 billion in annual savings through improved access to telehealth services alone. In some ways, the ACP was a victim of its own success. Because it was a one-time appropriation, the subsidy was gone once the money was spent, and the outpouring of Americans signing up was beyond what anyone predicted. Internet service providers began notifying recipients in January last year that they'd lose the discount; by June, it was gone. Melvin Lewis was enrolled in the ACP through Computer Reach, a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit working to close the digital divide. David Freudberg / Human Media Millions disconnected: Isolation, less groceries, missed appointments We're still untangling the impacts of the ACP's end. Just how many people lost their internet connection as a result is the subject of some debate. Census data released last September indicated that 6 million Americans added internet subscriptions after the ACP was introduced in 2022. Then-FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel told Congress in November 2023 that between 20% and 22% of ACP subscribers had no internet subscription before the ACP. That translates to about 4.5 million households. Wherever the number lies exactly, we know that many millions of people crossed the broadband divide because of the ACP. But how many of them fell back in once the program ended? In a survey taken in its dying days, about 13% of ACP subscribers, or roughly three million households, said they would cancel their service after the subsidy ran out. (Another report predicted the number would be twice as high.) Those projections are no longer theoretical. A recent Ookla report found that the broadband divide grew in 32 states in the second half of 2024, which lines up almost exactly with the ACP's end. (Disclaimer: Ookla is owned by Ziff Davis, the same company that owns CNET.) 'We suspect that some of this [broadband divide] was attributed to the ACP ending,' Sue Marek, editorial director at Ookla and author of the report, told CNET's Cierra Noffke in a previous interview. They're going back to what they were doing before, which is using their phones as a hotspot, using their neighbor's connection if they can, driving or walking to the library or Starbucks. Kami Griffiths, executive director of digitalLIFT ISPs have also noted losses since the ACP ended, even though many offered their own discounted plans for low-income customers. Spectrum attributed around 200,000 lost subscribers to the end of the program, while Xfinity shed around 79,000. Melvin Lewis, a retired musician who lives alone in Pittsburgh and was enrolled in the ACP, said he would only cancel his internet as a last resort. 'It's extremely important for me,' he said. 'I absolutely need this internet. It keeps me connected to the rest of the world.' For those ACP subscribers who couldn't afford to keep their internet connection, many are reverting to old strategies for getting online. 'It's really sad. People just can't afford it anymore,' said Kami Griffiths, executive director of the digital equity nonprofit digitalLIFT. 'They're going back to what they were doing before, which is using their phones as a hotspot, using their neighbor's connection if they can, driving or walking to the library or Starbucks.' Other options, but nothing as consistent Since it ended, many former ACP enrollees have switched to low-income internet plans offered directly by providers, which can be less reliable than a federal government subsidy. Karen Kama, a 68-year-old digital skills student with the Reading Public Library, told me that she uses Comcast's low-income plan, which is available to anyone who receives a social service benefit like Medicaid or public housing assistance. She said her monthly payment has already increased from $10 to $15 since she enrolled. 'If they go up again, I'm just going to have that shut off,' Kama said. 'I'm on a fixed income. I can't let nothing get out of hand. So if they go up again, then I'm just going to delete that, give them back their box and see if I can do something else.' Another issue with these plans is that they often don't allow you to participate if you have an outstanding balance on your account. 'If you lose your job and miss a bill, you're not eligible for their low-cost plan,' said Drew Garner, a director of policy engagement for the nonprofit Benton Institute for Broadband & Society. 'The existing low-cost plans are a drop in the bucket. The ACP was the real key.' What we would hear last summer, when we'd go to the Hill, was, 'Well, you know, since the ACP ran out of funding, we haven't heard from anyone.' No kidding, because they don't have a way to get in touch with you. Danielle Perry, board member with The National Lifeline Association Since the ACP ended, a number of cities and states have also created their own internet subsidies. Before the ACP ended, New York state began requiring internet providers to offer plans for low-income households starting at $15 a month, which the Supreme Court upheld in December 2024. Similar legislation is on the table in California, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota and Vermont. 'It's clearly on the minds of policymakers,' said Jake Varn, an associate manager with The Pew Charitable Trusts' broadband access initiative. 'There's generally a wave of recognition that affordability is a real, serious challenge.' But this piecemeal approach has its downsides, too. 'What New York has is an incredible solution,' Siefer said. 'But is that ideal that we do this, state-by-state? Absolutely not. We really need to have one solution across the country.' While there have been several ACP extension bills introduced over the past year, none of them have made it out of committee. Broadband funding generally doesn't grab headlines -- recent Presidential social media posts aside -- and some observers think Congress has been content to let the issue peter out. 'What we would hear last summer, when we'd go to the Hill, was, 'Well, you know, since the ACP ran out of funding, we haven't heard from anyone,'' said Danielle Perry, a board member with the trade group The National Lifeline Association. 'No kidding, because they don't have a way to get in touch with you.' The vast majority of federal broadband spending goes toward expanding infrastructure in rural areas, not affordability. deepblue4you / Getty Images A loss of trust There have been a few glimmers of an ACP revival over the past year, but the community organizations I spoke with said it wouldn't be easy to re-engage those 23 million homes. 'It took a lot of work to get people signed up, and it took a lot of organizations putting their legitimacy on the line,' said Revati Prasad, executive director for the nonprofit Benton Institute for Broadband & Society. 'There's this loss of trust.' If this is so important, who's fighting for us to keep it? Melvin Lewis, former ACP user According to a (since-deleted) White House fact sheet, one in four households participating in the ACP program were Black, one in four were Latino and nearly half were military families, along with 4 million seniors and 10 million Americans over the age of 50. Melvin Lewis, the retired musician in Pittsburgh, initially got enrolled in the ACP through Computer Reach, a local nonprofit working to close the digital divide. 'How it was sold to me was like, this is for older people, people in the rural areas, and it's especially important for us to have,' he said. 'Then they just take it away. If this is so important, who's fighting for us to keep it?' This was echoed in my conversations with people on the ground who worked to enroll ACP users. Getting people signed up was a huge undertaking, and there's no guarantee that it would be as successful a second time around. 'They stuck their necks out for the program. They were trusted messengers,' said Daiquiri Ryan Mercado, strategic legal adviser and policy counsel for the National Hispanic Media Coalition. 'And then it kind of just ended with a very short off-ramp period.' 'Can't live without it' Each of those 23 million ACP users has a unique story, but a common theme emerged in my conversations: the internet was essential for them, and they were willing to make big sacrifices to stay online. When I asked Phyllis Jackson whether she ever thought about canceling her internet after the ACP ended, she seemed shocked that I would even ask. 'Oh no! I can't live without it,' she said. 'I will find some way -- cutting down on food or heat or whatever. Because it's really necessary.' Dorothy Burrell, the digital navigator with Essential Families in Kansas City, gave me the same answer. 'Never. Never. You need it. You need the internet no matter what," she said. Melvin Lewis said he would only cancel his internet as a last resort. 'Internet is something you just absolutely have to have,' he said. 'It's like having lights or water or sewage. I don't know how people get along without it.' What other low-income internet options are available? There's no one resource that's been a substitute for the Affordable Connectivity Program, but there are several options available that can help low-income families pay for internet. Here's what's out there: Lifeline : This federal subsidy provides $9.25 per month toward phone or internet services, but the income requirements are lower than the ACP's: 135% of or $43,402 for a family of four. You can also qualify if you participate in Federal Public Housing Assistance, Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Supplemental Security Income, Tribal-specific programs or the Veterans Pension and Survivors Benefit Programs. : This federal subsidy provides $9.25 per month toward phone or internet services, but the income requirements are lower than the ACP's: 135% of or $43,402 for a family of four. You can also qualify if you participate in Federal Public Housing Assistance, Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Supplemental Security Income, Tribal-specific programs or the Veterans Pension and Survivors Benefit Programs. State and local resources: Many states and cities created their own low-income internet subsidies after the ACP ended. The best way to find local programs is by searching "[location] internet resources" in Google. You can also use CNET's guide to low-income internet options in all 50 states. Many states and cities created their own low-income internet subsidies after the ACP ended. The best way to find local programs is by searching "[location] internet resources" in Google. You can also use CNET's guide to low-income internet options in all 50 states. Low-income plans from internet providers: Many internet providers had their own discounted plans before the ACP, and they started offering them again after it ended. The National Digital Inclusion Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to closing the digital divide, developed a scoring system called Grading Internet for Good based on factors like cost, transparency and plan performance. You can see these ratings in the table below, along with some basic information about each plan. To find which providers are available in your area, put in your address on the FCC's broadband map. This will give you a list of every provider that serves your home. To see what plans are available, you'll have to enter your address on each provider's website individually.
CNET
17-05-2025
- Business
- CNET
The Broadband Divide Worsened in 32 States in 2024, Ookla Reports
Ookla, one of the leading internet speed test sites, recently published its semiannual report on the state of internet connectivity in the US. The report, which encompasses the second half of 2024, reflects a growing broadband divide across 32 states. (Disclaimer: Ookla is owned by Ziff Davis, the same company that owns CNET.) To measure the digital divide, Ookla relies on Speedtest Intelligence data, crowdsourced from Speedtest users across all 50 states. Ookla then averages the number of users receiving the minimum standard for an internet connection, which the Federal Communications Commission defines as 100Mbps downstream and 20Mbps upstream. While 22 states saw improvements in the number of internet users receiving at least 100Mbps, most of that progress occurred in urban areas. Ookla's data reflects a particular struggle to connect rural households, as the states with the largest digital divide were the rural communities in Washington, Oregon, Illinois, Missouri and New Mexico. 'We suspect that some of this [broadband divide] was attributed to the ACP ending,' Sue Marek, editorial director at Ookla and author of the report, told CNET. 'We might see some more examples of that by the end of 2025.' The cancellation of the Affordable Connectivity Program, which ended in May 2024 due to Congressional funds expiring, affected approximately 23 million households that received financial aid with monthly internet bills. Locating local internet providers The Ookla data notes a significant increase in the number of houses with a fiber-to-the-home connection, a record 88.1 million homes, and Marek attributes this growth to broadband deployment funding. 'But I think a lot of that [fiber deployment] was driven by private equity funding or CapEx being spent by these big telcos,' said Marek. 'But does that really help the digital divide?' As the Broadband, Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program hasn't resulted in buildouts yet, the growth in internet connectivity in the second half of 2024 can also be attributed to the Digital Equity Capacity Grant program, the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program and the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund. Marek notes that over $11 billion in government funding has been distributed by those programs since 2020. Ookla's report comes on the heels of the Digital Equity Act's cancellation by President Donald Trump, as it was deemed a 'racist' and 'unconstitutional' program. The National Telecommunications and Information Association, the organization responsible for administering Digital Equity Act funding, has since removed webpages related to the program. 'This administration's deranged obsession with forcing extremist right-wing culture wars on all of us is not an acceptable or legal reason to deny states access to these funds,' Sen. Patty Murray, a Washington Democrat who introduced the bill in 2019, said in a press conference about the Digital Equity Act. Marek says the effects of the decision to slash the Digital Equity Act will likely not be seen in Ookla reporting until the end of 2025. The BEAD program, meanwhile, is undergoing a structural review, with industry experts worried that the program will pivot from a 'fiber first' approach to a process that favors Elon Musk's Starlink, a satellite internet option that has raised the bar for getting internet access to rural areas, albeit with an expensive price tag. While disputes over funding distribution and the fate of the Digital Equity Act and BEAD hang in the air, the broadband divide continues to grow at the expense of the country's most marginalized communities. To get involved, Marek recommends contacting your state's broadband office to learn how it's approaching the digital divide. 'Every state has one,' Marek said. Additionally, the NTIA hosts a BEAD progress dashboard, so you can stay informed on the progress of BEAD-funded projects in your state. To directly express your concerns, you can also call your local representatives and government officials.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Best Prepaid Home Internet Plans for 2025
When it comes to prepaid internet service, your options could be limited. NOW Internet is CNET's pick as the best-prepaid internet plan overall. NOW Internet offers two prepaid plans with maximum download speeds of 100 or 200 megabits per second. The service comes with no credit checks, no contract requirements" target="_blank, free equipment, unlimited data" target="_self and straightforward, pay-as-you-go pricing. You'll find additional details about the service and other potential prepaid internet options below. More prepaid internet options would certainly be ideal. Since the end of the Affordable Connectivity Program" target="_self, many Americans have struggled to afford home internet" target="_self. There are a few alternatives to consider for cheap internet, but prepaid service is, unfortunately, not likely to be one of them. Here's how the prepaid services compare. Please note that the plans below show each provider's cheapest available tier. The max speed is the top advertised speed for that given plan, but it might not be available in your area. Overall, the best selection for you -- and the most cost-effective plan -- might be a different tier that provides a faster speed at a higher price but a better value. To fully understand more about this value-based approach, check out CNET's guide to examining the cost per Mbps" target="_blank. Source: CNET analysis of provider data. Prepaid home internet service is ideal for getting a quick and easy connection, but it isn't for everyone. Here are some things you'll want to keep in mind when shopping for prepaid internet service. Most major ISPs don't offer a separate prepaid internet plan. So, for example, if AT&T" target="_self and Spectrum" target="_self are the primary ISPs in your area, you won't have the option of a prepaid home internet plan. Consider the upfront and long-term cost of prepaid versus standard service to determine which is the better value. You could possibly get a cheaper plan from an ISP with no upfront costs. Will 100 to 200Mbps be enough speed for your needs? Unless you're already a Verizon Fios prepaid customer, that's the fastest you'll get from a prepaid home internet service. For a few dollars more per month, it's possible to get faster speeds than you'd get from a prepaid plan. With prepaid internet, your service ends abruptly when the prepaid period is over. Consider enrolling in auto-renew payments -- it's available from both Cox and NOW -- to avoid any unexpected service disruptions. Selecting the best prepaid internet plans began the same way we at CNET evaluate all of the best internet providers: by seeing what's available. In the case of the best prepaid home internet, the choices are much more limited than, say, the best fiber internet providers or even the best rural ISPs. Cox and NOW Internet are the only two national internet providers to offer separate prepaid internet plans. Verizon Fios no longer offers its prepaid service to new customers and CenturyLink" target="_self has a prepay option, but it's just a different way to pay for standard service. AT&T, Kinetic" target="_self, Mediacom" target="_self, Spectrum and others do not offer a standalone prepaid plan. After narrowing down the options, we considered speeds, pricing and service terms such as fees, data caps and contracts, along with customer satisfaction reports to determine the overall value of each prepaid internet plan. That's a similar approach to how we review and evaluate all major internet providers across the US, even though the category of prepaid internet is much more limited. See our guide to how CNET reviews internet providers to learn more. Prepaid internet is separate from low-income internet plans in that there are no qualifications such as credit checks or deposits to sign up. The lack of high speeds and overall value are often a drawback to prepaid internet, but you may consider slower speeds a fair trade for simple, cheap internet service. NOW Internet service is our pick for the best prepaid internet, but Cox's StraightUp Internet may suit your needs as well if NOW Internet is unavailable. Prepaid internet is a pay-as-you-go internet service that allows you to pay for the next week or month of service ahead of time to avoid fees and other conditions that come with most standard internet plans. Prepaid internet plans typically require no credit check, deposit or term agreement. Prepaid internet is best for those who would rather skip the common conditions of signing up with an internet service provider, such as credit checks and term agreements. Speeds are often lower than you'll get with standard internet plans -- Cox and NOW Internet prepaid plans come with maximum download speeds of 100Mbps and 200Mbps, respectively -- but the ease of signing up and lower fees may make prepaid service the more sensible option for some households. Cox and NOW Internet do not require any special requirements or qualifications to sign up for prepaid service. Your address and initial service costs are often all you need to get started. Prepaid internet is most likely not the cheapest way to get internet. Prepaid internet is often more expensive than standard internet plans when considering cost per Mbps or the speeds you get for what you pay. Prepaid internet can come with lower initial costs, particularly if the provider would otherwise charge a deposit or deny service due to low or unestablished credit or outstanding balances from a previous account. Unless you connect to a free public network, you can't legally get home Wi-Fi without an internet provider. An internet connection and router are needed for Wi-Fi. You can purchase a Wi-Fi router on your own, but without an internet connection to your home, there will be no internet for the router to connect to. You need an internet provider to supply that internet connection. Yes. NOW Internet is the only prepaid internet plan available to new customers that includes unlimited data. Comparatively, prepaid service from Cox and T-Mobile comes with a monthly data cap of 1.25TB and 2GB to 50GB, respectively.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Spectrum struggles to reverse alarming customer behavior
Telecom giant Spectrum, which is operated by Charter Communications () , is suffering from an alarming shift in customer behavior, despite its recent effort to reverse the trend. In the company's first-quarter earnings report for 2025, it revealed that Spectrum faced a 1.8% year-over-year increase in internet revenue during the quarter, mainly due to 'promotional rate step-ups' and 'rate adjustments.' 💵💰Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter 💰💵 However, the increase in internet revenue was offset by Spectrum losing 60,000 internet customers during the quarter, which is more than analysts were an earnings call on April 25, the company revealed that about 9,000 of the internet customers it lost were due to the January wildfires in California. Charter Communications CEO Chris Winfrey said during the call that Spectrum also saw a slight increase in internet service disconnects due to nonpayment. He said that this was due to 'the lack of ACP.' The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) was a government program that provided eligible households a discount of up to $30 a month for internet service. It was discontinued in February 2024. Winfrey noted that 'customers are rightfully tightening their wallet' amid recession concerns. He also flagged that the housing market has a significant impact on broadband industry growth. 'The housing climate is a little bit unknown right now, and that'll have an impact,' said Winfrey. 'But even that, you know, tends to be temporary in nature.' Currently, home prices in the U.S. remain high, and the housing turnover rate remains the lowest it's been in 30 years, with the average 30-year mortgage rate remaining above 6%. In order to attract and retain customers amid macroeconomic uncertainty, Spectrum will be focused on presenting value and advertising bundled services to customers going forward. "We can present value to customers and stickiness through having the best products at the best prices," said Winfrey. "You know, advertising and telling customers you can save them hundreds or even thousands of dollars on converged broadband and mobile services is a great way." Spectrum's loss in internet customers comes after it raised its monthly internet prices by $3 to $4, depending on the plan, in July last year. To lessen the blow of the price hike, Spectrum later rolled out 'a new and simplified pricing strategy' in September. This strategy offers customers internet for a starting price of $30 a month when bundled with mobile or video services. Pricing plans for internet services are also guaranteed for up to three unveiling this offer, Spectrum customers have recently taken to social media to flag that their internet bills keep increasing. Some have even threatened to cancel their service due to the hike in rates. In general, many consumers across the nation are seeing higher costs for internet service as they face inflation and higher costs of living, which is pushing them to make harsh decisions. According to a new survey from CNET, 63% of U.S. adults saw the monthly price of their home internet service increase last year. On average, they paid $195 more for internet service in 2024 than they did in 2023. Despite paying higher prices for internet, 51% of the respondents in the survey said they still experienced unreliable connectivity. These price hikes even pushed one in five U.S. adults to either downgrade their service, switch internet providers, or cancel their service altogether. More Retail: AT&T quietly issues stern warning to customers Sam's Club makes a big change to a beloved membership perk GameStop announces risky move amid store closures In order to escape high internet prices, many consumers are switching to fixed wireless internet. This service provides high-speed internet connection using radio signals instead of cables. It can provide internet access to remote or underserved areas where internet through cable is not available. Fixed wireless internet is also usually cheaper than traditional internet services. Companies such as Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile all offer fixed wireless internet, which poses a major threat to Spectrum. Comcast, one of Spectrum's main competitors, even flagged during an earnings call last week that it is facing 'intense' competition from fixed wireless internet providers. 'I would tell you that the newer competitor in the last few years has obviously been fixed wireless,' said Comcast Chief Financial Officer Jason Armstrong during the call. 'They're adding 1,000,000 subscribers per quarter, so that's sort of the competitive intensity that we're seeing that's sort of incremental. We are competing aggressively with it.'Sign in to access your portfolio
