WASHINGTON — Thursday is the deadline to get ahead of cost-saving options to reduce your monthly internet bill.
The application deadline for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which helps thousands of low-income Americans access low-cost internet service, is approaching midnight. ACP is an initiative run by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that provides low-income people with discounts on broadband internet and devices.
ACP is an FCC program designed to provide broadband internet discounts to low-income Americans, but it does not have permanent funding. The FCC projects that the ACP will exhaust its currently available funds by April 2024.
The deadline to apply for the current funding round is February 7th at 11:59pm ET. To be eligible, a customer must have established internet service with a provider before applying to her ACP.
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internet qualification discount
An individual or household may qualify for ACP if:
- Based on household income, which must be at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines.
- If you, your child, or your dependent participate in certain government assistance programs such as SNAP, Medicaid, WIC, or other programs.
- If you or someone in your family is already receiving a Lifeline benefit.
Estimated income
For example, you may qualify for the program if your income is $29,160 or less. A family of four with a household income of $60,000 or less can qualify.
This program provides additional income data on its website.
Federal assistance programs
Applicants may be required to show proof of enrollment in another federal assistance program to qualify for ACP. Those programs include:
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps
- medicaid
- Medicaid eligibility may be renewed. Learn more about how to update (Spanish information).
- Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
- Supplemental Securities Income (SSI)
- Federal Public Housing Assistance (FPHA) (Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program (Section 8 Voucher), Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA)/202/811, public housing, and affordability for American Indians, Alaska Natives, or Native Americans) Hawaiians (including affordable housing programs)
- Veterans pension and survivor benefits
- Free or reduced-price school lunch programs or school breakfast programs, including United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Community Eligibility Prescribed Schools
- Received a Federal Pell Grant in the current award year
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Lifeline benefit
Users who already receive Lifeline benefits from the Federal Communications Commission will automatically qualify for ACP and can receive both benefits at the same time.
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children or dependents
A household may be eligible for ACP if any members of the household, including children and dependents, participate in the Free and Reduced School Lunch Program or are enrolled in a USDA Community Eligibility Clause school. can.
Pandemic-related funding
FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel told Congress on November 30, 2023, “Current projections are that the funds allocated to continue this program and keep these households connected will not be available until next April.” It will be depleted by then.”
Related: Spectrum price increase for some packages to start from February
Internet service provider Optimum says that if ACP funding runs out, customers with ACP discounts will be “billed at regular undiscounted rates” for their selected internet services. Masu. Verizon says that Internet customers who receive an ACP discount will either continue with their plan without the discount or terminate their Internet service from Verizon if the ACP ends. Other Internet service providers have issued similar warnings about increased costs and possible service termination for customers taking advantage of ACP discounts.
The FCC’s funding projections are consistent with those made by civil society organizations and internet policy experts.
RELATED: Yes, Affordable Connections Program is expected to run out of funding in 2024
A letter dated May 10, 2023 from the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights predicted that the ACP would run out of its funds during the second quarter of 2024. This estimate was based on the ACP’s spending rate, which was approximately $500 million per year announced by the leadership conference. Month.
That’s because funding for the program comes from two bills that allow the program’s funding to be “available until exhausted.”
The first was the 2021 Consolidated Appropriations Act, which created what was then called the “Emergency Broadband Benefit Program.” The program was originally intended as a “COVID-19 emergency period” benefit.
The bill sets aside $3.2 billion for the program.
Nearly a year later, in late 2021, the program was renamed the Affordable Connectivity Program and given $14.2 billion in additional funding through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Since then, the program has received no additional funding and is not included in the signed budget bill.
If the program receives additional funding, it would have funding to continue beyond April 2024.
For more information about the program, please visit the program website.
Tegna’s Verify team contributed to this report.
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