Federal Communications Commission	"FCC  XX-XXX"


STATEMENT OF
CHAIRWOMAN JESSICA ROSENWORCEL

Re: 	Affordable Connectivity Program, WC Docket No. 21-450, Fourth Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (November 15, 2022).

Happy Birthday to the Affordable Connectivity Program.  It was one year ago—on November 15, 2021—that President Biden signed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the landmark legislation that directed the Federal Communications Commission to establish what has become the largest broadband affordability effort in our nation’s history—the program we now call the ACP.
What a year it has been!  In the past 12 months, the Commission stood up the ACP in record time and now has over 15 million households that are enrolled and receiving this essential broadband benefit.  But we are not done yet, because we have underway a $100 million outreach grant program that the Commission adopted earlier this year that is designed to make sure those who are eligible for the ACP hear about it from someone they trust.  In fact, just last week we released a Notice of Funding Opportunity for our ACP Outreach Grant Program, which provides up to $70 million in competitive funding support available to all 50 states and territories, including funds earmarked for Tribal communities.  Next week, we will start accepting applications in response to a Notice of Funding Opportunity for our two related one-year outreach grant pilot programs: the Your Home, Your Internet Pilot Program, and the ACP Navigator Pilot Program.  On top of that, we are also moving forward with a paid media campaign, which will help get the word out about the ACP to eligible households in conjunction with these other efforts.  
But an important part of the success of these outreach initiatives is knowing who is participating in the ACP and how they are using this benefit to get and stay connected.  And that takes data.  In other words, we need to know where we have been with this program to better understand where we need to go.  So we are doing just that.  With this order, we are standardizing the way we collect information about the ACP.  We are also considering proposals in a further rulemaking to see what other data points may help paint a fuller picture of how eligible households participate in this program.  
This is a vital part of our work at the Commission to help thoughtfully grow the ACP.  It is also a duty we have under the law.  That’s because the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that established the ACP one year ago directed us to establish rules for the collection of data relating to the price and subscription rates of each internet service provider participating in the program.  Thank you to my colleagues and the Commission staff who contributed to this order, the further rulemaking, and all other matters involving the ACP during the past year.  Together we have built a history-making program to help close the digital divide and assist households across the country afford broadband service.  





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