NYC Families: Save Money on Your Home Broadband Service

NYC families: ready to save up to $50 a month on your home internet bill?

This year, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) launched the short-term Emergency Broadband Benefit Program (EBB), a federal initiative that provides eligible households with a temporary discount on monthly broadband internet bills during the COVID-19 pandemic.

All households with a student enrolled in a DOE school or program are eligible for two types of benefits available:

• Monthly Benefit: Provides a discount of up to $50 per month for broadband service, equipment, and device rentals; and

• One-Time Device Discount: This is a one-time discount of up to $100 on a laptop, tablet, or desktop computer, where available.

Who Else is Eligible for EBB?

In addition to households with students enrolled in a DOE school or program, your household is eligible for EBB if at least one person in your household:

• Receives certain income-based benefits like SNAP (food stamps), SSI, federal public housing assistance, or Medicaid;

• Receives free or reduced-price school lunch or breakfast;

• Received a federal Pell Grant during the current school year;

• Experienced a substantial loss of income due to job loss or furlough since February 29, 2020.

To apply for the EBB program, confirm your household’s eligibility, and find participating broadband internet providers, visit the Universal Service Administrative Company’s EBB Program website.

If you are seeking to qualify for EBB through your child or dependent, please choose the “USDA Community Eligibility Provision” option from the pulldown menu when prompted. Then, select “NYC Chancellor” from the next pulldown menu when asked for your school district. You’ll then be asked to search for your child’s school from a list—please select it, and then submit your application.

Have further questions? Call the EBB Program Support Center at (833) 511-0311 or email them at EBBHelp@usac.org.

We hope your family will be able to benefit from this new federal program. For more free and discounted internet options like EBB, check out the DOE’s “Free and Low-Cost Internet Options” page.

Banner photo by Anthony Shkraba. Used under Creative Commons license. Original can be found on Pexels.