What is the Affordable Connectivity Program and how do you qualify?
The Biden administration's Affordable Connectivity Program provides low-cost, high-speed internet to individuals who lack access or for whom the cost is too high, but many Americans don't know that they could be eligible.
On Monday, Vice President Kamala Harris is scheduled to highlight the internet access expansion program, also called ACP, in South Carolina, touting it as an initiative that now serves more than 16 million households and saves Americans more than half-a-billion dollars per month on internet access through low-cost plans, discounts and subsidies.
Enrollment is up 40% since the benefit was first announced, according to The White House. The program was signed into law in November 2021, as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Read on to learn more about who is eligible for the program, how it works and where to sign up.
What is the ACP?
The program aims to expand access to the essential tool of broadband internet. Rural locales, communities of color and older Americans often lack access to reliable high-speed internet, now a vital tool for work, school and health care, which further marginalizes them.
The Biden Administration invested $65 billion toward the goal of "Internet for All" as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) also announced a new investment of more than $175 million to 61 minority-serving institutions that will go toward expanding internet access, purchasing equipment and training individuals in how to use these tools.
What do you get?
Participating households can a discount of up to $30 a month on home internet access or mobile internet service. These internet connections offer a minimum of 100 Mbps download speed, which allows a family of four to use video conference software, stream movies and watch television shows.
The household also receives a one-time discount of up to $100 on a computer or tablet.
Who is eligible?
Roughly 48 million, or up to 40% of Americans households, qualify for the program, experts estimate.
Individuals can verify their eligibility and sign up for the benefit at GetInternet.gov.
There are three different ways to qualify for the benefit. In order to be eligible, individuals must meet one of the following criteria:
- Have an income at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. For a family of four in the contiguous U.S., that's $55,500.
- A household member participates in a government assistance program including Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, commonly known as food stamps), Medicaid, Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Federal Public Housing Assistance (FPHA).
- You meet the eligibility criteria for one of hundreds of participating broadband providers' own low-income internet program, listed on GetInternet.gov.
How do you apply?
You can apply at GetInternet.gov, which walks people through the process of verifying they're eligible. People can choose whether to apply based on household income, participation in a government assistance program or through a broadband provider's existing low-income internet program. Individuals can apply online or by mail, with mail-in applications available in English and Spanish.