Many of you have likely heard about the FCC's "Emergency Broadband Benefit" (EBB) program that will go live within the next couple weeks. This program will provide $50/mo to qualifying households to defray the cost of internet ($75/mo on tribal lands) and up to $100 to assist with the purchase of a computer, laptop, tablet, etc. Funding will last until it runs out or until six months after the end of the pandemic, whichever comes first. It is fully expected that the funds will run out before the end of the pandemic...
The Jefferson County Library wants to make sure that our community members who need it most are 1) made aware of the EBB, and 2) provided application assistance if necessary. To that end, we're coordinating Information Sessions for community leaders who work with those populations (and anyone else who is interested!). Dates, times, and links are below, as is a short description of the EBB program.
------------------------------
Topic: Emergency Broadband Benefit - Information Session
Date: Apr 22, 2021
Sessions (same info presented at each meeting):
- 9:00 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
- 1:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
- 5:30 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/
Meeting ID: 410 368 3176
One tap mobile
+12532158782,,4103683176# US (Tacoma)
+13462487799,,4103683176# US (Houston)
------------------------------
What is the Emergency Broadband Benefit?
The Emergency Broadband Benefit will provide a discount of up to $50 per month towards broadband service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on Tribal lands. Eligible households can 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 Emergency Broadband Benefit is limited to one monthly service discount and one device discount per household.
Who Is Eligible for the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program?
A household is eligible if one member of the household meets at least one of the criteria below:
- Qualifies for the Lifeline program;
- Receives benefits under the free and reduced-price school lunch program or the school breakfast program, including through the USDA Community Eligibility Provision, 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 since February 29, 2020 and the household had a total income in 2020 below $99,000 for single filers and $198,000 for joint filers; or
- Meets the eligibility criteria for a participating providers' existing low-income or COVID-19 program.
When Can I Sign Up for the Benefit?
The program has been authorized by the FCC, but the start date has not yet been established [as of 4/16/21].
What ISPs are participating?
In addition to the providers listed here, the WA State Office of Broadband has confirmed that WAVE and CenturyLink are participating.