Walking through the Tommy Nobis DisAbility Fair last week, my son was drawn like a magnet to the table with the stacks of shiny new Vortex phones and tablets. I followed him reluctantly assuming the vendor was selling phone plans. Boy was I wrong! The table was giving away the phones and selling the tablets for $10.01 with unlimited talk, text and data on the 5G network to those who qualify!
Nicole Edgeworth, a Field Agent, kindly explained anyone with SSI, Medicaid or other low-income programs qualify for the phones and tablets through the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). The registration process is simple and requires minimal time working with a field agent's assistance.
February 7th is the last enrollment date for the current ACP program which will give participants the phones and tablets for at least a year. As time is of the essence, I asked Nicole to step in as a guest blogger and provide more information on the program and how you can potentially benefit.
Please welcome guest blogger and Field Representative Nicole Edgeworth.
You may have heard them called “Obama Phones” or simply “government phones.” You may have heard of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, or maybe its predecessor the EBB aka the Emergency Broadband Benefit. The Affordable Connectivity Program, or simply ACP, has supplied free or reduced internet connection via home internet or mobile devices with free cellular data to millions of households across the country.
ACP is the largest and most successful broadband affordability program in our nation’s history. In 2024, it is reported that nearly 23 million households across America rely on ACP to pay for the high-speed internet service they need for school, work, health care, and more. The ACP supports eligible low-income households struggling to afford monthly internet service.
It is undoubtably one of the most popular and widely championed government programs today. However, it was recently announced that funding is expected to run out in sometime in 2024. The program that has allowed so many low-income households to not only connect to home internet, but access to mobile wireless devices such as phones and tablets computers as well, some with unlimited talk, text and data for an entire year is dwindling to a close.
A household is eligible if...
• Their total income is at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level, and/or
• At least one member of the household receives assistance from, , receives, or participates in one or more of the following:
• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Medicaid,
Federal Public Housing Assistance, SSI, Special Supplemental nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), Veterans Pension and Survivors benefit , or Lifeline*
Tribal specific programs like:
• Bureau of Indian affairs General Assistance
• Head Start (only households meeting the income qualifying standard)
• Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (Tribal TANF)
• Food distribution Program on Indian Reservations
• Free and reduced-price school meal program
• Community Eligibility Provision school
• Federal Pell Grant;
• A broadband provider’s existing low-income program
Yet less than 35% of eligible households have been enrolled in the program. In other words, 51.6 millions households across America are eligible for the ACP, including 17.7 million unconnected eligible households (educationsuperhighway.org/no-home-left-offline/ACP-data/#dashboard). In many communities, eligible households aren’t even aware the program exists. Many can be skeptical when learning about it for the first time, and it doesn’t help that there are trust issues about government programs, concerns that unexpected costs or privacy issues could impact them.
Another barrier to participation in the ACP is that to apply for the assistance, one must already have access to the internet, either at their home or on a wireless device with cellular data. Not only that, but the National Verifier requires an email address, something that many without internet simply just don’t have. The application process can also be confusing, lengthy, and require documentation that some, on their own, will just abandon before its completed. I know this from experience, as I did just that.
Luckily, there are field agents who are able to assist those who think they may be eligible to apply for the benefits and some can even give out their devices at that time as well. These agents can help those who may not have experience with digital application and guide them through the process, explaining the requirements and documentation needed and helping upload any requirements. Agents can take an application process that could be anywhere to 30-45 or longer and reduce that time exponentially. If the applicant is found in the National Verifier, sometimes the application process can be reduced to 10 minutes or less. My own application was approved in about 5 minutes, and I received both a tablet and a phone right then and there.
When it comes to receiving the benefit, there are service providers that allow both free and reduced cost mobile devices. Some providers will even give you both a free phone and an affordable tablet computer at the time the application is approved. The government says that in order to receive a reduced cost tablet computer the applicant must contribute more than $10 but less than $50. At least one provider of the ACP is offering a 10 inch tablet for $10.01!
If you are interested and think you may qualify, feel free to reach out to Nicole at 678-631-6922 to apply before the February 7th deadline. She can assist you or direct you to another field agent.
With the announcement of the program’s end date for accepting new applications on February 7, 2024 and the wind down process already in place, many may wonder, “Why bother?” Over 1600 Internet Service Providers are still participating in the ACP and will continue to offer some type of benefit to eligible households!
In addition to this being an election year and the program’s widespread bipartisan support throughout the country, as well as the support of the telecom industry and consumer advocates, it seems unlikely that the program will be discontinued. The program has been around in some incarnation since the Reagan Administration in 1984 and in 2005, when the Bush Administration revamped the program to allow for wireless devices. In all reality, the program is likely to save the government money, as access to the internet reduces costs for Medicaid programs by providing tele-health options, it can increase citizen self-sufficiency by providing more opportunities for career advancements, and continuing education online through online GED and college courses, just to name a few.
Below is a link to an email that allows you to let your representatives know that you support the ACP and hope that there will be additional funding. If you wish to do so, all you have to fill out is your name and address and then hit send, the email is already written and the contact information for your representatives already saved.
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