The Federal Communications Commission is encouraging residents to learn more about a special program designed to reduce or eliminate their monthly internet bills.
The Affordable Connectivity Program was launched at the end of 2021 as part of bipartisan legislation. Over 20 million eligible households, including three million in rural areas, are enrolled — but Alejandro Roark (ROH-ark), the FCC’s Chief of the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau, would like to see more residents in rural areas get connected through the program.
In short, the program is designed to take $30 a month off a customer’s bill — and if those bills are under $30 a month, internet service would be free. Besides the monthly discount on service, eligible households can also get a one-time discount of up to $100 for buying a laptop, desktop or tablet computer from participating businesses.
Residents can qualify through several means. Household income can be at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines — about $29,000 for an individual or $60,000 for a family of four. If anybody in a given household, including children or dependents, is involved in government assistance programs like SNAP, Medicaid, WIC or federal housing assistance, a family automatically qualifies. Families are also eligible if anybody in a household receives a Lifeline internet benefit.
Residents can get more information and sign up through getinternet.gov or by calling 877-384-2575 for a paper application. All Lyon County providers, including ValuNet FIBER, Wheat State Telephone, S&A Telephone and the MT Networks, are participating.