Emergency Broadband Benefit Program

Published On May 19, 2021 | By Tom Huskerson | News and Analysis

Even as the nation starts to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic there are still plenty of people who need help with every day expenses. The pandemic left a lot of people jobless or under employed. The result has been unpaid bills like rent, utilities and even food.

Congress passed a stimulus package in December that includes help with your internet and even buying technology.  The package includes help paying for broadband and other basic tech for those who lost their job or experiencing other financial difficulties. Starting this week qualified applicants can take advantage of the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program.

The program is managed by the FCC and offers a temporary discount on monthly broadband bills up to $50 a month (or $75 if your household is on qualifying Tribal lands). In addition If your income qualifies, you can also get a one-time discount of up to $100 for a computer or a tablet.

How do you qualify for the program?

There are a few of ways you can qualify for the program that include having an income level at or below 135 percent of the Federal Poverty level. If you are a participant in programs such as SNAP or Medicaid or can verify that your job loss was due to the pandemic or other criteria you can benefit. Get more information by either visiting the FCC website or by going to getemergencybroadband.org

If you think you qualify, you can also contact your current broadband provider to see if they are participating in the program (or check this list for a provider near you), or print out and complete an application and send it to:

Emergency Broadband Support Center
P.O. Box 7081
London, KY 40742.

Please don’t wait! this is a temporary benefit that disappears 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 comes first.

Now you know.

 

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About The Author

Tom Huskerson Bio Born in Richmond Virginia Tom Huskerson is a military veteran who settled in California after his discharge. Tom attended Santa Barbara City College where he began his writing career as a campus reporter. He worked as an intern news reporter for the Santa Barbara News-Press writing feature stories before moving on to San Francisco. At San Francisco State University Tom studied broadcast communications and began to focus on the Internet. He completed his graduate thesis on Internet advertising. Tom was the first student to ever focus on the Internet as a graduate student at San Francisco State University. After graduation he went to work for Zona Research in California’s Silicone Valley. As a research associate Tom supported senior analyst writing on the latest developments in the Internet industry. During the dot com boom Tom worked for several web businesses as a market researcher and analyst. As a writer and researcher Tom has authored various technical works including a training program for Charles Schwab security. Other projects included professional presentations on workplace violence and hiring security contractors. Tom has also written both fiction and non-fiction works and blogging for a travel website. He has published two books of short stories and completed two novels. Tom is the owner of Scribe of Life Literature and EbonyCandle.com. Tom is not the chief editor for the OnTechStreet. com. A news and information blog that focuses on tech news for African-Americans. The blog is the result of his desire to inform the African American community of the dangers and benefits of the cyber age. In his blog Tom reports on information security, new and analysis, scams and hoaxes, legal happenings and various topics that arise from the age of information. Tom believes that technology is a necessary tool for black people and they should know what is happening. Tom writes believing that techno speak is for the professional and that valuable information can be communicated using plain language. As a result he has embraced the motto, Less Tech, More Knowledge.

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