welp dark timeline has won. ACP is already gone for the majority, and we now enter into the partial funding phase
for those that haven't been cut off yet, depending on how and who you received the ACP benefit through, you may still have internet until the end of may if you're lucky.
i can personally vouch that verizon at least has guaranteed its ACP recipients that currently use any of their prepaid wireless services will continue to be funded till may 31st.
this includes:
- Straight Talk
- Total by Verizon
- Simple Mobile
- Safelink
- Walmart Family Mobile
- Tracfone
- Go Smart
- Page Plus
- Net 10
not sure if any other providers are doing the same, so i recommended checking out what your isp has to say about it. ive heard that some providers may even start giving out their own discounts in the future in order to keep ACP customers from canceling their contracts.
i encourage everyone that was enrolled in ACP to check out the link below to see if there are any local internet assistance programs in your state or city that you may qualify for
if you currently recieve EBT or medicaid then you should qualify for a free lifeline phone, which provides both free monthly cell service and a few GB of data each month. many lifeline providers allow you to use your own phone with their service if its compatible, but they will send you a free cheap smartphone if you need one. keep in mind that only one lifeline phone is allowed per household, even if your household members are just roommates.
you can apply for lifeline using the link below
i know better than anyone how depressing this whole situation is, but hopefully this won't be a forever thing. this program has helped too many people to just disappear for good like this
good news is there seems to still be some congress members pushing for a funding renewal. maybe if we kick up enough of a shit about it, we can force congress to expedite getting this program restored. might even help if we start rallying about it idk
23 million americans are about to loose affordable internet access, surely there has to be something more we can do about it
for me personally, i use a verizon based lifeline service so i still have one more month of unlimited internet before i get demoted from to like 4.5GB a month. thats just enough for necessary and emergency use, but i wont be able to do much else with it. i live right by a library tho and have family that are close enough to visit often, so i'll get by somehow
but most ACP recipients aren't as lucky as i am. my sister has already lost her internet, and many others have as well. not everyone lives close to public wifi sources, and unfortunately not everyone that qualified for ACP will also qualify for lifeline. for many people this was their only way to afford internet, and its loss will be felt deeply for a very long time.
my condolences to those that have already lost their internet, wishing you all the best in the difficult times ahead of us. be joining you guys soon o7
RIP ACP