NDIA Releases Low-Cost Internet Plans List to Address Post-ACP Reality

In the wake of the Affordable Connectivity Program’s (ACP) termination, the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) released a list of low-cost internet plans to help consumers find inexpensive, trustworthy broadband options.

Billing their new webpage as an “Honor Roll of Low-Cost Internet Plans,” the NDIA connected the list directly to the end of the ACP: “With the end of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), the monthly subsidy to help reduce the cost of internet service for qualifying households is no longer available. However, some Internet Service Providers (ISPs) continue to offer low-cost internet plans.”

The NDIA used its own rating system, “NDIA GIG,” to evaluate the various plans. The rating system scored the plans as “Good,” “Better,” or “Best” based on criteria including cost, eligibility standards, speed, data limits, pricing transparency, technology, and more. Preference was given to plans that eliminate barriers to eligibility.

The plans included in the NDIA’s low-cost internet plan list include AT&T, Comcast Xfinity, Cox Communications, Digital C, Human-I-T, Optimum, PCs for People, Spectrum (Charter), Starry, Verizon, and Xtream (Mediacom). Of those plans, “Best” and “Better” ratings were received by:

• Xfinity’s Internet Essentials and Internet Essentials Plus plans (“Best”)
• Digital C’s Canopy plan (“Best”)
• AT&T’s Access plan (“Better”)
• Cox Communications’ Connect2Compete plan (“Better”)
• Verizon’s Fios 300 with Forward discount plan (“Better”)
• Xtream’s Xtream Connect plan (“Better”)

The full list can be found on the NDIA website. For each plan, the NDIA details the plan costs, taxes and fees, speed offered, eligibility criteria, service type, service area, and any notes. They also have a “customer alert” field that, for certain plans, “describes our experiences with the ISPs and shows what information was incorrect or inconsistent.”

“The end of the Affordable Connectivity Program left millions of households navigating a maze of internet plans with varying costs, speeds, and eligibility requirements,” said NDIA Executive Director Angela Siefer. “While we cannot make up for the ACP benefits that millions received, this rating system sets a standard for ISPs and encourages them to improve their affordable internet plans.”

The NDIA plans to evaluate other broadband providers’ plans in the future.