Douglas County Broadband Action Team Build Awareness for the Affordable Connectivity Program
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Minden, NV - The Douglas County Broadband Action Team announced it is working to help build awareness about the Affordable Connectivity Program, a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) program. The new long-term benefit will help lower the broadband service cost for eligible households struggling to afford internet service.
As of September, 997 households, or 23% of those eligible for the program in Douglas County are enrolled compared to a state average of 38%.
The program provides a discount of up to $30 per month toward broadband service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for qualifying households on qualifying Tribal lands. The benefit also provides up to a $100 per household discount toward a one-time purchase of a computer, laptop, or tablet if the household contributes more than $10 and less than $50 toward the purchase through a participating broadband provider.
The discount is available to eligible households whether they are a new or existing broadband customer.
A household is eligible if one member of the household meets at least one of the criteria below:
- Has an income that is at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines;
- Participates in certain assistance programs, such as SNAP, Medicaid, Federal Public Housing Assistance, SSI, WIC, or Lifeline;
- Participates in one of several Tribal specific programs, such as Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance, Tribal Head Start (only households meeting the relevant income qualifying standard) Tribal TANF, or Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations;
- Is 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;
- Received a Federal Pell Grant during the current award year; or
- Meets the eligibility criteria for a participating broadband provider’s existing low-income program.
Eligible households can enroll through a participating broadband provider or by (1) going to AffordableConnectivity.gov to submit an online application or print a mail-in application and (2) contacting their preferred participating broadband provider and selecting a plan. Additional information about the program is available at www.fcc.gov/ACP, or by calling 877-384-2575 between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. ET any day of the week.
For those county residents not sure about whether or not they would benefit from internet service, the Douglas County Public Library has free hotspots and devices available for a 30-day checkout with a library card.