[NFBofSC] Emergency Broadband Program through the FCC

[Christina Moore]

Hello Everyone,

I thought the following would be interesting for people in our state to
know and very useful financially. Hope it is helpful and/or something that
can be passed along.
I have pasted below the description of this program because they describe
it more thoroughly and properly than I might be able to:

The Emergency Broadband Benefit is an FCC program
<https://www.fcc.gov/emergency-broadband-benefit-program> to help families
and households struggling to afford internet service during the COVID-19
pandemic. This new benefit will connect eligible households to jobs,
critical healthcare services, virtual classrooms, and so much more.
About the Emergency Broadband Benefit

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 if they contribute
more than $10 and less than $50 toward the purchase price.

The Emergency Broadband Benefit is limited to one monthly service discount
and one device discount per household.
Who Is Eligible for the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program?

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 <https://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty-guidelines> or participates in
   certain assistance programs, such as SNAP, Medicaid, or Lifeline
   <https://www.fcc.gov/lifeline-consumers>;
   - Approved to receive benefits under the free and reduced-price school
   lunch program or the school breakfast program, including through the USDA
   Community Eligibility Provision in the 2019-2020 or 2020-2021 school year;
   - 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; or
   - Meets the eligibility criteria for a participating provider's existing
   low-income or COVID-19 program.

How to Apply
Apply Now <https://getemergencybroadband.org/>

Eligible households must *both apply for the program and contact a
participating provider to select a service plan.*

There are three ways for eligible households to apply:

   1. *Contact a participating broadband provider
   <https://www.fcc.gov/emergency-broadband-benefit-providers>* directly to
   learn about their application process. If you are unable to apply through
   them directly, you will have to apply using option 2 or 3 below, and then
   contact a participating provider to select an eligible plan.
   2. *Go to **GetEmergencyBroadband.org*
   <http://getemergencybroadband.org/> to apply online and to find
   participating providers near you. After you apply, you will have to contact
   a participating provider to select an eligible plan.
   3. *Call 833-511-0311 for a mail-in application or print a copy
   <https://getemergencybroadband.org/how-to-apply/>*, and return it along
   with copies of documents showing proof of eligibility to:
   4. Emergency Broadband Support Center

   P.O. Box 7081
   London, KY 40742

   After you received a notice that you have qualified for the program,
   households must contact a participating provider to select an Emergency
   Broadband Benefit eligible service plan.


Again, I hope this is helpful to someone.
Christina
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://nfbnet.org/pipermail/nfbofsc_nfbnet.org/attachments/20210528/5171d197/attachment.html>