A new federal program will provide discounts to eligible households who need broadband internet service.
As of May 12, the program operated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will provide eligible households with discounts of up to $50 a month for broadband internet service.
Those same families could also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers, if they contribute more than $10 and less than $50 toward the purchase price. The offer is limited to one monthly service discount and one device discount per household.
For the foreseeable future, local residents will be paying about $75 a month for gig-speed fiber internet to their homes, said Tony London, a Bartholomew County commissioner and chairman of the Bartholomew County Broadband Initiative Committee.
“But if you qualify (for the benefits program), you are looking at paying around $25 a month for some of the fastest internet on the planet,” London said. “I’d say that’s a pretty good bargain.”
The commissioner cited a number of studies that show that for every dollar a community invests in rural broadband, it brings $5 to $8 back into the community.
The Emergency Broadband Benefit program is open to households that:
- Have 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.
- Are approved to receive benefits under the free and reduced-price school lunch program or the school breakfast program, including through the USDA Community Eligibility Provision in the 2019-2020 or 2020-2021 school year.
- Receive a Federal Pell Grant during the current award year.
- Experience a substantial loss of income due to job loss or furlough since Feb. 29, 2020. The household should have had a total income at or below $99,000 for single filers last year – and $198,000 for joint filers.
- Meet the eligibility criteria for a participating provider’s existing low-income or COVID-19 program.
“We really should have been on this five years ago,” London said regarding countywide high-speed broadband. “Every new job that is coming along is internet-based. If we are going to compete with other locations, we have to have a better infrastructure.”
Homes that lack the capacity of providing high-speed broadband internet are selling for less than equivalent residences that provide the service, he said.
The FCC program is designed to help families and households who are struggling to afford internet service during the COVID-19 pandemic. Benefits included connecting individuals to jobs, as well as critical healthcare services and virtual classrooms.
Since additional investments are likely to be made from some of the additional $16.2 million appropriated for Bartholomew County through the American Rescue Plan, London believes timelines for countywide rural broadband internet might be moved up.
“I’m guessing that in the neighborhood of three years, if you don’t have high-speed internet in Bartholomew County, it’s because you don’t want it,” London said.
The Emergency Broadband Benefit was part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act that passed by Congress in late December, 2020. At that time, the program received a total of $3.2 billion.
The FCC is encouraging program supporters and participating providers to conduct outreach efforts, so that every eligible household knows about the program and how to sign up.
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Beginning on May 12, households can apply for the Emergency Broadband Benefit in three ways:
- 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.
Mail-in applications can be returned, along with proof of eligibility, to: Emergency Broadband Support Center, P.O. Box 7081, London, Kentucky, 40742.
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