Comcast lays out ACP remedies

Comcast remains hopeful that the US government will extend the life of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), but the cable operator has outlined several options should the program run out of funding and effectively shut down at the end of next month.

Comcast has about 1.4 million ACP recipients, with the majority of them being broadband customers prior to the program. That means a sizable portion of that group are using the ACP benefit to take a higher-speed tier.

But to prepare for the potential demise of the program, Comcast EVP of Public Policy and EVP of Digital Equity Broderick Johnson noted in this blog post that the operator has committed to the following:

Related:FCC rule will 'close the door' on preserving the ACP, warns Sohn

Other programs that Johnson highlighted include Comcast's Internet Essentials Partnership Program, which helps school districts and other organizations provide funding for students and families to get home broadband, and Project UP, a $1 billion commitment focused on advancing "digital equity."

Related:How the FCC could save the Affordable Connectivity Program

Many other US broadband operators are offering their own remedies should the ACP go away. AT&T, for example, announced last week that it will continue to offer "Access from AT&T," a plan that provides symmetrical speeds of 100 Mbit/s and Wi-Fi access for $30 per month. The company's connectivity pledge will also extend to the AT&T Prepaid and Cricket mobile services.

ACP fighting an uphill battle

Those remedies are entering the picture as ACP hangs on by a thread. But efforts to save and extend the program continue.

A $7 billion ACP extension bill is one possible option, but that effort has been stymied as House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) prevents it from coming to the floor. However, Congresswoman Yvette Clarke (D-NY), who helped lead the extension bill, just filed a discharge petition to reach the floor without a green light from Johnson.

New Street Research analyst and former FCC official Blair Levin isn't optimistic that Clarke's effort will succeed, because discharge petitions "are rarely successful."

"Members tend to be more partisan on the procedural matters than the substantive ones as leadership cares more about the procedural ones, as process is the real source of their power," he explained in a research note issued Thursday morning. "Crossing party lines on a procedural matter, like a discharge petition, may therefore prove more costly to a member than crossing party lines on a substantive matter."

Related:Maximum ACP reimbursement for May down to $14 – FCC

Citing data from the Congressional Research Service (CRS), Levin points out that of the 221 petitions in recently history, just 22 have resulted in floor consideration of the measure, and only two discharge petitions have resulted in new laws since 1993.

On top of that, he believes Republicans will want to see the resolution of the Ukraine aid bill before signing on to an ACP discharge petition.

"Given the number of supporters on both sides of the aisle, it is possible that [Rep.] Clarke could get the necessary 218 signatures for a discharge petition, but institutional incentives and history suggest she will face an uphill battle to succeed," Levin explained.

A push is also underway to broaden the Universal Service Fund's contribution base and roll the ACP into the Lifeline benefit.