Emergency benefits program

Emergency Broadband Benefit is a new and temporary federal program enacted to help Americans afford internet service during the pandemic.

Under this program, low-income households or those who experienced a substantial loss of income may receive a discount on the cost of internet service and certain connected devices. The Emergency Broadband Benefit is limited to one monthly service discount and one device discount per household.

When will EBB be available? Who is eligible? Filing Instructions PDF. Elections will be expeditiously reviewed on a rolling basis. To fulfill its obligation of evaluating provider approval applications, the Bureau reserves its authority to review and evaluate for completeness and accuracy the specific application information submitted as part of the approval process.

In addition to the specific information collected on the application form, the provider should submit a narrative description of how it meets the requirements to participate in the EBB Program. This includes how the provider offered broadband service to end-users as of December 1, in the jurisdictions they are seeking approval and the specific requirements for either automatic approval or expediated approval.

For automatic approval, the provider should describe: 1 the jurisdiction in which it plans to participate, 2 the service areas in which the provider has the authority, if needed, to operate in each state, but has not been designated an eligible telecommunications carrier, and 3 a description, supported by documentation, of the established program with which the provider seeks to qualify for automatic admission to the EBB Program.

Both the Bureau and USAC will begin accepting new Affordable Connectivity Program provider applications and election notices on December 27, for any new provider that did not participate in the EBB Program or existing participating provider seeking to expand to new jurisdictions for the Affordable Connectivity Program. The online application is available at the ServiceNow portal. Once you successfully submit your application through the application portal, you will receive an automated response that the application has been submitted to the contact email.

You can check the status of your application in the portal. If you successfully submitted your application, you will see applications that are submitted, require additional information, or have been closed and received a determination. FCC staff will contact you if additional action or information is needed to process your application. No, you can only submit one provider for approval per application. You can seek approval to participate and approval of alternative eligibility verification processes on the same application.

If you need to seek approval to participate for multiple providers, you must submit multiple applications. If a provider wishes to participate in other states where they are not an ETC, they need to seek Bureau approval for the other states. Automatic Application and Approval Process Any non-ETC broadband provider seeking to qualify for such automatic approval must file an application describing: the jurisdiction in which it plans to participate; the service areas in which the provider has the authority, if needed, to operate in each state, but has not been designated an eligible telecommunications carrier; and, a description, supported by documentation, of the established program with which the provider seeks to qualify for automatic admission to the EBB Program.

Established Program as of April 1, The established program must have been available by April 1, to subscribers meeting at least one of the criteria in Consolidated Appropriations Act, div. N, tit. Specifically, providers offering broadband subscribers discounted rates based on criteria such as low-income, loss of income, participation in certain federal, state, or local assistance programs, or other means-tested eligibility criteria qualify for this automatic approval process.

Required Verification Processes. Broadband providers seeking automatic approval to participate in the EBB Program with established programs must demonstrate verification processes used for the established program.

The verification process must be sufficient to avoid fraud, waste, and abuse. Providers that have been offering a broadband program for eligible households should demonstrate how they have generally foregone collecting revenue they might otherwise have assessed from participating subscribers. This investment in broadband affordability will help ensure we can afford the connections we need for work, school, health care and more for a long time. More information about actions current Emergency Broadband Benefit recipients will need to take to continue receiving the Affordable Connectivity Program benefit after the transition period will be available in the coming weeks.

Please stay tuned for additional updates. This new benefit will connect eligible households to jobs, critical healthcare services, virtual classrooms, and so much more. The Emergency Broadband Benefit is limited to one monthly service discount and one device discount per household. Looking to enroll in the ACP? Apply now at ACPBenefit. Emergency Broadband Benefit recipients can transfer their monthly benefit to a new participating service provider at any time.

To move your benefit to a different provider, simply contact the new provider and ask that they transfer your benefit. You do not need to cancel the benefit, or your service, with your current benefit provider before requesting the transfer.

Various broadband providers, including those offering landline and wireless broadband, are participating in the Emergency Broadband Benefit.