The announcement of products and services in this column does not represent an endorsement by the American Council of the Blind, its officers, or staff. Listings are free of charge for the benefit of our readers. “The ACB Braille Forum” cannot be held responsible for the reliability of the products and services mentioned. To submit items for this column, send a message to [email protected], or phone the national office at 1-800-424-8666, and leave a message in Sharon Lovering’s mailbox. Information must be received at least two months ahead of publication date.
Affordable Connectivity Program Winding Down
The Affordable Connectivity Program will stop accepting new applications and enrollments on February 7, 2024. Consumers must be approved and enrolled with a service provider 11:59 p.m. Eastern on February 7 to receive the ACP benefit.
Without additional funding from Congress, the FCC anticipates that the current ACP funding is projected to run out in April 2024. This date is an estimate and may change. As a result, the FCC has begun taking steps to wind down the ACP, which means:
- No new ACP enrollments will be accepted after February 7, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern.
- Households that enrolled with an ACP Internet company before February 7, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern will continue to receive their ACP benefit until ACP funds run out as long as the household remains enrolled and eligible for the benefit.
- When ACP funds run out, households participating in the ACP will no longer receive the ACP discounts.
For more information, visit www.fcc.gov/acp.
Changes at Hadley
In the coming weeks, we will be changing our web and email addresses from Hadley.edu to HadleyHelps.org. We needed to make this move as our scope has expanded beyond academics.
HadleyHelps.org web address already works. If you type in Hadley.edu by accident, you will be automatically redirected to HadleyHelps.org and your emails forwarded accordingly. Be sure to update your bookmarks to the new address.
News from En-Vision America
In January 2021, we announced the discontinuation of the i.d. mate Galaxy bar code scanner. Further to this, En-Vision America announces the discontinuation of all i.d. mate database updates as of October 30, 2026. The last database update will be launched in late October 2026. Until this time, i.d. mate customers can continue to expect bi-annual updates.