Emergency Broadband Benefit Program — Beneficio de Emergencia para Internet
What Is It and How Does It Work
¿Qué Es y Cómo Funciona?
in American Sign Language
At-a-Glance
The Emergency Broadband Benefit Program is a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) program that provides a temporary discount on monthly broadband bills for qualifying low-income households. If a household is eligible, it can receive:
- Up to a $50/month discount on broadband service and associated equipment rentals
- Up to a $75/month discount if household is on qualifying Tribal lands
- A one-time discount of up to $100 for a laptop, tablet, or desktop computer (with a co-payment of more than $10 but less than $50)
Who is Eligible?
A household is eligible if a member of the household meets one of the criteria below:
- 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;
- Receives benefits under the free and reduced-price school lunch program or the school breakfast program, or did so in the 2019-2020 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; or
- Meets the eligibility criteria for a participating broadband provider’s existing low-income or COVID-19 program.
Get Started Now
Applications open May 12, 2021. The program will end when the fund runs out of money, or six months after the Department of Health and Human Services declares an end to the COVID-19 health emergency, whichever is sooner.
Central Oregon Providers
In Central Oregon, both BendBroadband (TDS) and CenturyLink are participating, as well as the region’s mobile providers. If you are looking for another region, you can use this handy tool to search by ZIP code.
