The Federal Communications Commission is Providing Eligible Americans a $50 Monthly Subsidy for Internet Service

The Federal Communications Commission is implementing a new Internet subsidy program titled the Emergency Broadband Benefit that will provide eligible Americans a $50 monthly offset of their Internet bill.

This program was part of the Covid relief bill passed last December, with the goal of helping Americans affected by the pandemic to obtain, or maintain, Internet service.

U.S. households that meet the eligibility requirements can begin applying for the $50 per month subsidy May 12, 2021.

Internet Subsidy Eligibility Requirements

In the big picture, language in the covid relief bill stipulated that this subsidy would be available to households that are at the poverty line or 135 percent above it, those who qualify for free and reduced school lunches, or people who’ve experienced a substantial loss of income since Feb. 29, 2020.

More specifically, the income based requirements are:

Households with incomes higher than shown above can still qualify for the $50 per month subsidy if they can show they have experienced a substantial loss of income since February 29, 2020 (as a result of the pandemic) and their 2020 income was $99,000 or less for individuals and $198,000 for households filing taxes jointly.

Households can also be eligible if at least one member:

• Qualifies for the Lifeline program;
• Receives benefits under the free and reduced-price school lunch program or the school breakfast program, including through the USDA Community Eligibility Provision, or did so in the 2019-2020 school year;
• Received a Federal Pell Grant during the current award year;
• Meets the eligibility criteria for a participating providers’ existing low-income or COVID-19 program.

Qualifying households on Tribal lands can receive a $75 per month Internet bill offset.

The $50 or $75 subsidy will be paid directly to the participating Internet service provider you choose. Households will not receive the subsidy payment. You can check for participating broadband providers in your area at this link.

And, you can read more about the Emergency Broadband Benefit and apply at the link below.

The Federal Communications Commission’s Emergency Broadband Benefit Info and Application Link

Additional Program Information

Eligible households will also be able to receive a one-time discount of up to $100 for a laptop, tablet, or desktop computer (with a co-payment of more than $10 but less than $50).

Only one monthly service discount and one device discount is allowed per household.

And, the Emergency Broadband Benefit will end when the fund runs out of money, or six months after the Department of Health and Human Services declares an end to the COVID-19 health emergency, whichever is sooner.

So, this shouldn’t be a permanent subsidy payment. But, I guess that depends on when the federal government decides Covid-19 is no longer a health emergency.

Wrap Up

The December 2020 Covid relief bill included a provision that established the Emergency Broadband Benefit to assist eligible U.S. households with paying for Internet service.

Qualifying households can receive a $50 per month subsidy applied directly to their broadband provider’s bill. Tribal households may be eligible for a $75 per month subsidy.

There are a number of eligibility criteria, so check to see if your household may be able to take advantage of this newly created federal program to make your Internet service a bit less expensive.