<h2>Open Access Transition</h2>
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        <h4><b>Important update on ACM's new open access publishing model for 2026 ACM Publications!</b></h4>
        <p>Starting January 1, 2026, ACM will fully transition to Open Access. All ACM publications, including those from PACMNET/CoNEXT, will be 100% Open Access. Authors will have two primary options for publishing Open Access articles with ACM: the ACM Open institutional model or by paying Article Processing Charges (APCs). With over <a href="https://libraries.acm.org/acmopen/open-participants" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2,700+ institutions</a> already part of ACM Open and with more institutions joining from around the world every week, the majority of ACM articles <b>will not require APCs</b> from authors or conferences.</p>

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        Authors from institutions not participating in ACM Open will need to pay an APC to publish their papers, unless they qualify for a geographic or discretionary financial hardship waiver.</i></p>

        <p>To find out whether an APC applies to your article, please consult the list of <a href="https://libraries.acm.org/acmopen/open-participants" target="_blank" rel="noopener">participating institutions</a> in ACM Open and review the <a href="https://www.acm.org/publications/policies/policy-on-geographic-apc-waivers-and-discounts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Policy on Geographic APC Waivers and Discounts Policy</a> and the <a href="https://www.acm.org/publications/policies/policy-on-discretionary-open-access-apc-waivers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Policy on Discretionary APC Waivers</a>. Keep in mind that discretionary waivers are rare and are granted based on specific criteria set by ACM. Simply sending a message to ACM indicating an inability to pay an APC is typically an insufficient justification for such a waiver. Waivers are based on the specific circumstances of the author(s) requesting the waiver. ACM does take seriously into consideration the institutional affiliation of the authors and whether it is a reasonable expectation that their institution should be joining the ACM Open program. </p>

        <p>To support a smooth transition and encourage broader ACM Open participation, ACM has approved <b>a temporary subsidy on APC pricing</b> for 2026. The subsidy will offer :</p>

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                <th><b>Authors</b></th>
                <th><b>No ACM or SIG members</b></th>
                <th><b>At least 1 ACM or SIG member</b></th>
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                <td><b>Proceedings of the ACM Article (including PACMNET/CoNEXT)</b></td>
                <td>$350</td>
                <td>$250</td>
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                <td><b>From a <a href="https://www.acm.org/publications/policies/lower-middle-income-countries" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lower-middle-income country</a></td>
                <td>$175</td>
                <td> $125</td>
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        <p>This represents a 65% discount off the regular <a href="https://www.acm.org/publications/openaccess#oapricing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">APC list prices</a>, funded directly by ACM. Authors are encouraged to help advocate for their institutions to join ACM Open during this transition period. This temporary subsidized pricing will apply to all conferences scheduled for 2026.</p>

        <p>Note that during this transition period, SIGCOMM has put in place an <b>APC grant</b> that will cover APC fees for you. To benefit from this grant, please check with ACM what the fee is for your paper and contact apc-grant _at_ sigcomm.org with your paper attached, the conference in which you are publishing and the amount requested by ACM. SIGCOMM will answer within a week to let you know if your APC fee is covered. This applies to all sponsored conferences, namely SIGCOMM, IMC, CONEXT, and HOTNETS. For all co-sponsored conferences, please refer to the publishing parent organization.</p>


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