Published February 1, 2023
The Federal Communications Commission’s Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) helps qualifying low-income households afford the broadband service they need for work, school, healthcare, and more by providing funds to be applied to their wireline or wireless internet service bills.
To ensure eligible consumers are informed about the ACP, the FCC launched its first ever grant program in November 2022. The resulting ACP Outreach Grant Program will provide funding to governmental and non-governmental entities acting as trusted messengers for ACP outreach and awareness campaigns nationwide.
Through the ACP Outreach Grant Program Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), the FCC will award up to $70 million to qualifying applicants via two sub-programs – the National Competitive Outreach Program (NCOP) and the Tribal Competitive Outreach Program (TCOP).
The ACP Outreach Grant Program also includes two, one-year pilot programs:
- The “Your Home, Your Internet Pilot Program” (YHYI) outreach grants, which are designed to increase awareness among recipients of federal housing assistance, and
- The “ACP Navigator Pilot Program” (NPP) outreach grants, which will provide trusted, neutral third-party entities with access to the National Verifier for purposes of assisting consumers with applying for the ACP. Examples include schools, school districts, and other local, state, or tribal governmental entities.
The deadline for applications closed on January 9, 2023. The FCC is currently reviewing the submitted grant applications and plans to announce final funding determinations by mid-March 2023. The list of grantees will be announced publicly to allow for coordination among stakeholders.
For more information about the ACP Outreach Grant NOFO, see: fcc.gov/acp-grants.
For more information about the ACP Outreach Grant Pilot Programs, see: fcc.gov/affordable-connectivity-pilot-programs.