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How to get government help in paying internet bill
Washington wants to pick up the tab for tens of millions of Americans’ internet connections. That may include yours.
The Emergency Broadband Benefit, or EBB, was launched Wednesday to help a surprisingly wide range of people hit economically by the coronavirus pandemic. It can pay $50 every month toward the cost of your internet service, and it is available to all families who lost some income in the past year and earn less than $198,000. With $3.2 billion up for grabs, the EBB is the largest federal program to help with internet bills in the three decades Americans have been going online.
You can get the EBB discount on your home internet or cellphone bill only if you sign up. Below are the EBB basics and my advice on how to avoid some complications from internet service providers that might want to make you jump through hoops to get the money.
HOW MUCH MONEY CAN YOU GET FROM THE EBB?:
There’s $50 per month off the price of a broadband connection per family, with the money coming straight off your internet bill — not through a rebate check or through your taxes. You can apply it to a home internet connection or wireless cellphone bill, but not both in the same household.
Not all internet plans are eligible, particularly ultrafast ones. If your bill is less than $50, you won’t get to pocket what’s left over from the EBB.
The EBB benefit increases to $75 per month for families that live in tribal areas. And there’s an additional one-time $100 discount available for people who purchase new equipment, such as a laptop or a tablet, through a participating company.
WHO CAN GET THE EBB?:
The FCC has a “Do I Qualify” page at GetEmergencyBroadband.org that I recommend reading, but eligibility boils down to three big categories:
1. Americans who lost jobs or substantial income during the pandemic.
2. People who receive food stamps, Medicaid, supplemental Social Security income, federal public housing assistance, have a child who qualified for free and reduced-price lunch at school or received a federal Pell Grant for education. You also can get it if your income is 135% or less than the federal poverty guidelines, which vary by household size and state.
3. Americans who already receive subsidized or lowincome internet service, such as the FCC’s Lifeline.
IS THE EBB OPEN ONLY TO U.S. CITIZENS?:
No. All U.S. residents can apply.
CAN YOU GET THE EBB IF YOU LOST INCOME IN 2020, BUT GOT A NEW JOB IN 2021?:
Yes. You don’t need to prove continued unemployment, but you will need to prove that your current annual income is below $99,000 for a single person or $198,000 for a family.
IS YOUR ISP PARTICIPATING?:
GetEmergencyBroadband.org links to a page where you can look up by Zip code which companies are participating in your area. If your ISP isn’t participating, but there’s another in your area that is,
More help
For more information, call the Emergency Broadband Benefit’s helpline at 833-511-0311. you can switch and still get the benefit as a new customer.
HOW DO YOU SIGN UP FOR THE EBB?:
For most people, the process will begin by applying online at the website GetEmergencyBroadband.org, which is available in English and Spanish. The program administrator will ask you to prove your identity, such as by sharing a Social Security number, driver’s license, passport or other ID. Then you’ll have to upload copies of documents that prove your eligibility, such as a layoff notice or unemployment application and your 2020 tax returns.
You can also download and print an application, then mail it.
After you’ve been approved by the government, you’ll need to go to your ISP and tell them. Some let you flag that online or in store, while others require you to give them a call.
Applying is easier for people already enrolled in Lifeline or such programs as Internet Essentials from Comcast. By participating in these programs, your eligibility is already verified — you just need to notify your ISP that you want to take advantage of the EBB benefit.
CAN YOU GET THE EBB IF YOU’RE ALREADY BEHIND ON YOUR INTERNET BILLS?:
The FCC says that, even if your bill is delinquent, your ISP still has to let you sign up for the EBB. But you’ll still have to pay pastdue bills.