Hickenlooper Votes to Pass Affordable Internet Program Extension Out of Committee

With funding lapsed, additional $7 billion will keep millions of Americans connected to the internet

Legislation now heads toward a full Senate vote

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper celebrated the Commerce Committee vote to approve $7 billion in additional funding to extend the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) and keep millions of Americans connected to affordable high speed internet. Facing a lapse in funding, the FCC was forced to pause the program this May. Hickenlooper sits as a member of the Commerce Committee and voted to pass the bill.

"Internet access is a basic need for modern life. The ACP delivered reliable and affordable internet to millions of Americans before it expired," said Hickenlooper. "We need to double down on our most successful programs from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and keep working families connected."

The additional funding was included in the bipartisan Plan for Broadband Act, which also included increased funding for the Hickenlooper-backed Rip and Replace Program.

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. The ACP helped over 23 million households nationwide, including over 250,000 in low-income households in Colorado, save $30-75 each on their monthly internet bills.

In advance of May's lapse in funding for the ACP, Hickenlooper called for the extension of the program and touted its success helping Coloradans save $122 million on the cost of high-speed internet service. In total, the ACP helps Colorado families save roughly $7 million each month.

The Plan for Broadband Act would also protect rural wireless networks by increasing funding for the Rip and Replace Program, which Congress created in 2020, to reimburse smaller communications providers that remove and replace insecure and risky equipment. Hickenlooper previously called for additional funding to close the $3 billion funding shortfall in the Rip and Replace program to help support digital equity, reliable public safety, and resilient wireless communications in rural Colorado. He also introduced the bipartisan Defend Our Networks Act to help address this funding shortfall and support smaller carriers in rural areas that possess more at-risk network gear.

The legislation now heads to the Senate floor for a full vote.

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