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Emergency Broadband Benefit Program

Home/Tech News/Emergency Broadband Benefit Program
2024-02-09T14:17:35+00:00 Print Page

Emergency Broadband Benefit Program

The FCC announced the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program (EBBP), which will allow eligible households (those that include a Pell Grant recipient or that have experienced significant income loss since February 2020) to receive substantially subsidized broadband service ($50 monthly subsidy for most, $75 monthly subsidy for those on tribal lands) and devices ($100 one-time subsidy for a device).

The program offers a significant opportunity for eligible students who have struggled with getting and staying online to resolve those problems. Because of issues with the FCC’s pre-existing eligibility verification system, however, it may take more time for postsecondary students to get through the process.

Pell students applying for the EBBP (and likely applicants falling under the “significant, pandemic-related income loss” category as well) will have to upload documents establishing their eligibility, and that’s where the process could slow down a bit. Hopefully it won’t slow verification down too much, but just to be on the safe side, Pell recipients and other students who might be eligible should try to get their applications submitted early. 

Students may find it helpful to review the other EBBP eligibility categories in case another member of their household might qualify the household to participate in the program.

 

Who Is Eligible for the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program?

A household is eligible if a member of the household meets one of the criteria below.  See details on eligibility here.

  • 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;

  • Participates in certain Federal or Tribal assistance programs such as SNAP, Medicaid, WIC, Head Start, or other programs

  • Was 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 past 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 and the household had a total income in 2020 was at or below $99,000 for single filers and $198,000 for joint filers; or

  • Meets the eligibility criteria for a participating provider’s existing low-income or COVID-19 program.