The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is offering families an Emergency Broadband Benefit. The new FCC program provides a temporary benefit to help lower the cost of broadband service for eligible households during the on-going COVID-19 pandemic.
Please note: This program is a federal program, not a Maine-Endwell program. Please direct all questions to: www.fcc.gov/broadbandbenefit, or call 833-511-0311 between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. any day of the week.
The $3.2B Emergency Broadband Benefit program provides:
- Up to $50/month discount for broadband service;
and
- A one-time discount of up to $100 for a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet purchased through a participating provider if the household contributes more than $10 but less than $50 toward the purchase price.
The Emergency Broadband Benefit is limited to one monthly service discount and one device discount per household.
A household is eligible if one member of the household meets at least one of the criteria below:
- Has an income that is at or below 135% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines or participates in certain assistance programs, such as SNAP, Medicaid, or Lifeline;
- Receives benefits under the free and reduced-price school lunch program or the school breakfast program, or did so in the 2019-2020 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; or
- Meets the eligibility criteria for a participating broadband provider’s existing low-income or COVID-19 program.
Emergency Broadband Benefit enrollment will open on May 12, 2021. There are three ways to apply:
- Contact your preferred participating broadband provider directly to learn about their application process.
- 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 proof of eligibility to:
Emergency Broadband Support Center
P.O. Box 7081
London, KY 40742
Resources
Teacher & Department Sites