A new Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) from the FCC is now available. It provides a discount of up to $50 per month towards broadband service to eligible households. The program also offers a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers.
The 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:
- Income at or below 135% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines or participates in 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; or
- Meets the eligibility criteria for a participating provider's existing low-income or COVID-19 program.
Eligible households can enroll through an approved provider (such as CenturyLink, Comcast or Verizon, and many cellular providers) or by visiting GetEmergencyBroadband.org. More information can be found on the Broadband Benefit Consumer FAQ.