The main alternatives to the Affordable Connectivity Program in 2026 are the federal Lifeline benefit, low-income internet plans from providers like Xfinity and AT&T, new state broadband laws in New York and Connecticut, and free hotspot lending through public libraries and nonprofits. No single program fully replaces the ACP, but combining them can keep your household online.
When the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) ended on June 1, 2024, more than 23 million households lost their monthly internet discount, and an estimated five million people were disconnected from home internet entirely, according to the National Digital Inclusion Alliance. Congress has not passed a federal replacement. This system is confusing right now, and that is not your fault. The help did not disappear; it scattered.
This guide brings every Affordable Connectivity Program alternative back into one place, tells you who qualifies, and shows you exactly how to apply. Start with the federal Lifeline benefit below, then stack the state and provider options that fit your situation.
Key Takeaways
- The ACP is gone: The Affordable Connectivity Program stopped taking applications in February 2024 and ended on June 1, 2024, with no federal replacement passed since.
- Lifeline is the federal fallback: The Lifeline program cuts $9.25 off a monthly phone or internet bill, or up to $34.25 on Tribal lands, for income-qualified households.
- ISP plans go lower than Lifeline: Providers like Cox and Comcast offer low-income internet from $9.95 to $30 a month, often with free equipment and no contract.
- State laws now cap prices: New York requires large providers to offer $15 internet, and Connecticut's $40 cap takes effect on October 1, 2026.
- Libraries lend free hotspots: About 99.2% of public libraries offer free internet, and many lend Wi-Fi hotspots and laptops you can take home at no cost.
- Affordable Connectivity Program alternatives stack: You can combine Lifeline, an ISP discount plan, and library resources to cover phone service, home internet, and a device at once.
What Happened to the Affordable Connectivity Program?
The Affordable Connectivity Program ended because its funding ran out and Congress did not refill it. The ACP stopped accepting new applications on February 7, 2024, and fully closed on June 1, 2024. At its peak, it reached roughly one in six American homes.
The ACP launched in December 2021 as the long-term successor to the pandemic-era Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB). Backed by a $14.2 billion allocation under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, it gave eligible households up to $30 a month off broadband (up to $75 on Tribal lands) plus a one-time $100 discount toward a device, as documented by USA.gov.
The loss hit some groups harder than others. Nearly half of all enrolled ACP households were military families. National data shows 32% of Black households lack home broadband, almost double the national average of 18%. Seniors who relied on the discount for telehealth appointments were among the most exposed when the benefit stopped.
Several bipartisan bills tried to save it. The Affordable Connectivity Program Extension Act of 2024 (S.3565 / H.R.6929) proposed $7 billion, and a companion measure (S.4317) proposed $6 billion. Despite backing from more than 400 organizations, none reached a vote. Then, on May 9, 2025, the U.S. Department of Commerce ended federal Digital Equity Act grant funding, which delayed or canceled several state digital equity programs. For a current read on where policy stands, The Pew Charitable Trusts tracks state broadband action in 2026.
The Lifeline Program: The Closest Federal Replacement
Lifeline is the one permanent federal program still lowering internet and phone bills in 2026. You qualify if your household income is at or below 135% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines (FPG), or if at least one person in your home takes part in a qualifying assistance program. The discount is $9.25 a month, or up to $34.25 a month on Tribal lands.
Lifeline is run by the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) under the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The benefit is smaller than the ACP, and the income rules are tighter, but it is stable and not at risk of running out the way the ACP did.
You qualify for Lifeline if at least one household member takes part in any of these programs:
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
- Medicaid
- Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
- Federal Public Housing Assistance (FPHA)
- Veterans Pension and Survivors Benefit
- Tribal programs such as Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance, Tribal TANF, or the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations
How Does Lifeline Compare to the Old ACP?
The table below shows why Lifeline helps but does not fully replace what the ACP offered. It is the starting point, not the whole answer.
| Feature | Lifeline Program | Affordable Connectivity Program (Historical) |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly discount | $9.25 (up to $34.25 on Tribal lands) | $30.00 (up to $75.00 on Tribal lands) |
| Income threshold | At or below 135% of Federal Poverty Guidelines | At or below 200% of Federal Poverty Guidelines |
| Device subsidy | None | One-time discount up to $100 |
| Program limits | One discount per household (phone or internet) | One service discount plus one device discount |
To apply, visit LifelineSupport.org and submit the federal application. Once approved, you choose a participating phone or internet provider, and the discount is applied to your bill.
Low-Income Internet Plans From Major Providers
The deepest discounts in 2026 come directly from internet service providers, not the government. Many major providers run their own low-income plans priced from $9.95 to $30 a month, often with free equipment and no credit check. The National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) rates these plans through its Grading Internet for Good system, scoring them on cost, speed, and transparency.
Most of these plans qualify you the same way Lifeline does: participation in SNAP, Medicaid, SSI, or having a child in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). The plans below were available nationwide in 2026, though exact pricing and speeds depend on your address. The full provider list is maintained by CNET and the providers themselves.
Which Low-Income Internet Plan Is Cheapest in 2026?
| Provider | Program | Monthly Cost | Max Speed | Key Eligibility / Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cox | Connect2Compete | $9.95 | 100 Mbps | Families with K-12 students on public assistance; free equipment and install |
| WOW! | Internet Select 50 | $10.00 | 30 Mbps | Families with students in qualifying school districts; free self-install |
| Comcast Xfinity | Internet Essentials | $14.95 | 75 Mbps | No contract or credit check; option to buy a computer for $149.99 |
| Optimum | Advantage Internet | $15 | 100 Mbps | Seniors 65+ on SSI, veterans on assistance, or families in the NSLP |
| Mediacom | Xtream Connect | $15.00 | 100 Mbps | At least one K-12 student in the National School Lunch Program |
| Spectrum | Internet Assist | $15.00 to $25.00 | 50 Mbps | $15 for NSLP/SSI households; $25 for other qualifying low-income homes |
| Starry | Starry Connect | $15.00 | 30 Mbps | Participating public housing communities; no data caps |
| Astound | Internet First | $20.00 | 150 Mbps | No contracts; new customers get 1-3 months free; select markets |
| AT&T | Access from AT&T | $30.00 | 100 Mbps | SNAP, Medicaid, SSI, or income under 200% FPG; free install and Wi-Fi |
| Verizon | Forward (Fios) | $30.00 | 300 Mbps | Lifeline, WIC, or Pell Grant households; fiber network |
| Comcast Xfinity | Internet Essentials Plus | $29.95 | 100 Mbps | Double the basic-tier speed; free equipment |
To find which providers serve your home, enter your address in the FCC National Broadband Map, then call each provider and ask specifically for the low-income plan by name. Front-line agents do not always offer these plans unless you ask.
State Broadband Laws That Lower Your Bill in 2026
If you live in the right state, a local law may guarantee you a low-cost plan no matter which provider you use. A growing number of states now require internet companies to offer income-based pricing, and nine states add their own money on top of the federal Lifeline discount.
New York led the way with its Affordable Broadband Act, in effect since January 2025. It requires any provider serving more than 20,000 customers in the state to offer eligible households a plan of $15 a month for at least 25 Mbps, or $20 a month for up to 200 Mbps, with taxes and equipment fees included. Program details are published by the New York State Department of Public Service and ACCESS NYC.
Connecticut passed a similar law in June 2025. Starting October 1, 2026, any broadband provider that contracts with the state must offer eligible households a plan of $40 a month or less.
State-funded Lifeline supplements add deeper discounts in 2026:
- Oregon: Added a state discount of up to $24.95 a month (up to $49.95 on Tribal lands) in 2025, bringing the combined total to $34.20 a month, plus a new $100 discount toward a computer.
- California: Launched its Home Broadband Pilot in February 2026, combining state funds with federal subsidies to expand access in low-income neighborhoods.
- New Mexico: Passed the Low-Income Telecommunications Assistance Program in February 2026 to subsidize local broadband connections.
Check your state's public utility commission to see what applies where you live. State programs change faster than federal ones, so confirm the current rules before you rely on them.
Free Internet and Devices From Libraries and Nonprofits
If you do not qualify for any discount program, you can still get online for free. Public libraries and nonprofits lend hotspots, give out refurbished computers, and connect entire housing developments at no charge to residents.
Public libraries are the most underused option. According to the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), 99.2% of public libraries provide free internet and 98.9% offer public-access computers. Many now lend Wi-Fi hotspots you can take home. The New York Public Library, with the Brooklyn and Queens systems, has lent hotspots to more than 10,000 families, a model now used in rural Maine and Kansas. California libraries distribute Home Connectivity Kits that bundle a Chromebook with a hotspot, mouse, and headphones.
Nonprofits that provide low-cost internet and devices:
- Human-I-T: Offers unlimited LTE hotspot plans starting at $14.99 a month and sells refurbished laptops, tablets, and desktops to qualified low-income individuals, seniors, and veterans.
- PCs for People: A nonprofit operating for nearly 25 years that sells refurbished computers with a one-year warranty and offers 4G/5G hotspot internet for $10 to $15 a month, with a one-time $45 modem fee.
- Connect All (InterConnection): Provides refurbished computers to low-income individuals; SNAP or SSI participation meets eligibility automatically.
To find offers near you, use the EveryoneOn locator, which searches low-cost plans, discounted computers, and free digital classes by ZIP code. You can also check PCs for People directly for device and hotspot availability.
Some cities run their own free programs. New York City's Big Apple Connect gives free internet to residents of New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) developments. Chicago Connected provides free home internet to eligible Chicago Public Schools families, and Get Connected LA links Los Angeles residents to free Wi-Fi maps, device events, and one-on-one tech tutoring.
How to Find the Cheapest Internet After the ACP, Step by Step
Work through these five steps in order. Each one rules in or out a layer of savings, so you end up with the lowest possible bill for your situation.
- Confirm your eligibility. Gather proof of participation in SNAP, Medicaid, SSI, or the National School Lunch Program, or a tax return showing income relative to the Federal Poverty Guidelines.
- Apply for federal Lifeline. Submit your application at LifelineSupport.org. Once approved, the $9.25 discount can lower a mobile phone or home internet bill.
- Check your state and local programs. If you live in New York, California, Oregon, Connecticut, or New Mexico, look up your state program, such as New York's $15 Affordable Broadband Act plan.
- Compare provider low-income tiers. Use the FCC National Broadband Map to see who serves your address, then ask each provider for its low-income plan by name, such as Internet Essentials or Access from AT&T.
- Use libraries and nonprofits. Search the EveryoneOn locator and ask your local library about borrowing a hotspot or laptop if you need a free option today.
How to Lower an Internet Bill You Already Have
If you do not qualify for a low-income plan but still need to cut costs, these four moves work for most households:
- Own your equipment. Most providers charge $10 to $15 a month to rent a modem and router. Buying a compatible refurbished unit can save up to $180 a year and pays for itself within a year.
- Audit your bill. Look for hidden fees and add-ons. Switching to paperless billing alone saves $1 to $3 a month on many accounts.
- Right-size your speed. A family of four streaming HD video and joining video calls rarely needs gigabit service. A 100 Mbps to 200 Mbps plan is usually plenty and costs far less.
- Negotiate with retention. Call your provider's retention line, mention a competitor's promotional rate in your ZIP code, and ask them to match it or apply a loyalty discount.
Key Terms to Know
Government internet programs are full of acronyms. Here is what the most important ones mean, in plain language:
- ACP (Affordable Connectivity Program): The federal internet discount program that ran from 2021 to June 1, 2024, then ended when funding ran out.
- Lifeline: The permanent federal program that lowers a phone or internet bill by $9.25 a month for income-qualified households.
- FPG (Federal Poverty Guidelines): The income figures the government uses to decide who qualifies for assistance, set each year by household size.
- NSLP (National School Lunch Program): The free and reduced-price school meal program; enrollment often qualifies a household for low-income internet plans.
- FPHA (Federal Public Housing Assistance): Housing support, including Section 8, that counts as a qualifying program for Lifeline.
- BEAD (Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment): A $42 billion federal program funding the physical buildout of internet networks, separate from the bill discounts above.
What the Post-ACP Landscape Looks Like in Practice
The single most important habit in 2026 is stacking. The households that stay connected are rarely the ones that find one perfect program. They are the ones that combine a Lifeline discount, a provider low-income plan, and a borrowed library hotspot until the monthly cost reaches something they can actually pay.
This is also where the research agrees. The National Digital Inclusion Alliance grades provider plans precisely because quality varies, and a $30 plan with 300 Mbps can be a better value than a $15 plan that throttles speeds. In our experience guiding readers through assistance programs, the most common mistake is stopping at the first option found online instead of comparing the three or four a household actually qualifies for. The second most common mistake is never asking a provider for its low-income plan by name, because those plans are easy to miss on a standard pricing page.
The honest takeaway is that the patchwork works, but only for people who push on it. The ACP delivered help automatically once you enrolled. The 2026 alternatives require you to apply in more than one place. That extra effort is the price of staying online until Congress acts, and this guide exists to make that effort as short as possible.
Watch Out for Post-ACP Internet Scams
Scammers know millions of people lost their ACP discount and are searching for a replacement. That makes this category a prime target for fraud. Before you hand over any information, here is how to tell a real program from a fake one:
- The ACP is not coming back through a text message. Any text or email saying you can reactivate or renew your ACP benefit is a scam. The program ended in June 2024 and has no online reactivation.
- Real programs are free to apply for. Any website charging a fee to submit a Lifeline or low-income internet application is not official. The application itself never costs money.
- Official Lifeline applications run through LifelineSupport.org. Provider low-income plans run through the provider's own website. Any other site claiming to enroll you should be treated with caution.
- No real program asks for a credit card to receive a benefit. If an offer requires a payment or a card number to claim free or discounted internet, it is fraudulent.
- The government will not cold-call you. Unsolicited calls, texts, or emails offering you internet benefits you never applied for are scams, even if they use a program's name.
If you receive an unsolicited internet benefit offer, do not click any links and do not reply. Report it to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Stay Connected After ACP: Start With Lifeline, Then Stack Local Help
The Affordable Connectivity Program is gone, and no single 2026 program fully replaces it. But households can still lower internet costs by combining Lifeline, provider low-income plans, state broadband discounts, public-library hotspots, and nonprofit device programs. Start with LifelineSupport.org, then use EveryoneOn or your local provider’s low-income plan page to compare the options available at your address.
Need help understanding how Lifeline differs from the old ACP? Read Gov-Relations’ guide to ACP vs. Lifeline to see how the two programs compare and which benefit may still help you stay connected.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Affordable Connectivity Program coming back in 2026?
No. As of June 2026, the ACP has not been renewed. Several bills proposed $6 billion to $7 billion to revive it, but none reached a vote in Congress. Use the Lifeline program and the state and provider plans in this guide as your alternatives for now.
What replaced the Affordable Connectivity Program?
Nothing fully replaced it at the federal level. The closest national option is the Lifeline program, which gives a smaller $9.25 monthly discount. State laws in New York and Connecticut, provider low-income plans, and free library hotspots together fill the gap the ACP left.
Can I get free internet without the ACP?
Yes. Public libraries lend free Wi-Fi hotspots and offer free in-building internet, and city programs like New York City's Big Apple Connect and Chicago Connected provide free home internet to qualifying residents. Nonprofits such as Human-I-T and PCs for People offer hotspot internet for as little as $10 a month.
How do I qualify for the Lifeline program?
You qualify if your household income is at or below 135% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, or if a household member takes part in SNAP, Medicaid, SSI, Federal Public Housing Assistance, or the Veterans Pension and Survivors Benefit. Apply at LifelineSupport.org.
Which provider has the cheapest low-income internet plan?
As of 2026, Cox Connect2Compete is the lowest at $9.95 a month for 100 Mbps, followed by WOW! Internet Select 50 at $10.00. Both have eligibility tied to having a K-12 student on public assistance, so the cheapest plan you can actually get depends on your household and which providers serve your address.
Can I combine Lifeline with an ISP low-income plan?
Often, yes. Many provider low-income plans accept Lifeline as a qualifying pathway, and some state programs add a further discount on top. Always confirm with the provider, since the combined total and the rules vary by state and company.
