Last week the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced that they were offering an Emergency Broadband Benefit as part of the nation’s COVID relief. This new benefit will provide Internet service, connecting eligible households to virtual classrooms, jobs, critical healthcare services, and much more.
The Emergency Broadband Benefit will provide a discount of up to $50 per month towards broadband service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal lands. Eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers. The Emergency Broadband Benefit is limited to one monthly service discount and one device discount per household.
A household is eligible if a member of the household meets one of the criteria below:
▪ Has an income that is at or below 135% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines ($26,500 x 135% = $35,775 for a household of four) or participates in certain assistance programs, such as SNAP, Medicaid, or Lifeline;
▪ Approved to receive benefits under the free and reduced-price school lunch program or the school breakfast program;
▪ Received a Federal Pell Grant during the current award year;
▪ Experienced a substantial loss of income due to job loss or furlough since February 29, 2020 and the household had a total income in 2020 at or below $99,000 for single filers and $198,000 for joint filers.
Various broadband providers, including those offering landline and wireless broadband, are participating in the Emergency Broadband Benefit. These include all the Internet service providers in our area: ALLO, CenturyLink, Hemingford Cooperative Telephone, Mobius, Spectrum, TracFone, Verizon, Viaero, and VistaBeam.
There are three ways for eligible households to apply:
▪ Contact your preferred participating broadband provider directly to learn about their application process and what they are offering.
▪ Go to GetEmergencyBroadband.org to apply online and to find participating providers near you.
▪ Call 833-511-0311 for a mail-in application, and return it along with copies of documents showing proof of eligibility to: Emergency Broadband Support Center P.O. Box 7081 London, KY 40742.