The Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) is a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) program to help households struggling to pay for internet service during the pandemic. This new benefit will connect eligible households to jobs, critical healthcare services, and virtual classrooms.
The Emergency Broadband Benefit will provide a discount of up to $50 per month towards broadband service for eligible households.
The Emergency Broadband Benefit is limited to one monthly service discount per household. A household is defined as any individual or group of individuals who are living together at the same address and share income and expenses—roommates are a household, a family living together are a household.
A household is eligible if one member of the household meets at least one of the criteria below:
As of May 12, 2021, eligible households will be able to enroll in the program to receive a monthly discount off the cost of broadband service from an approved provider. Eligible households can enroll through an approved provider or by visiting https://getemergencybroadband.org.
Check out the Broadband Benefit Consumer FAQ for more information about the benefit and please continue to check this page for program updates.
As the provider, S&T will receive the funds directly from the Emergency Broadband Benefit program.
Yes, eligible consumers with a past due balance or a balance in collections are eligible for the benefit. The EBB does not apply to the past due balance, it will cover $50 of the current month’s invoice.
Yes, talk to your provider about the plans they have available as part of the Emergency Broadband Benefit program.
Yes. You can also combine these benefits with other state and local benefits where available. They can be applied to the same qualifying service or separately to a Lifeline service and an Emergency Broadband Benefit service with the same or different providers. For example, an eligible household could have a Lifeline-supported mobile phone service and a separate home broadband service that is supported through the Emergency Broadband Benefit.
Lifeline is the FCC’s program to help make communications services more affordable for low-income consumers. To participate in the Lifeline program, consumers must either have an income that is at or below 135% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines or participate in certain federal assistance programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Medicaid, Federal Public Housing Assistance, Supplemental Security Income, the Veterans and Survivors Pension Benefit, or certain Tribal Programs. You can see if you are eligible by reviewing the information available at lifelinesupport.org (click “Do I Qualify?”).
The Emergency Broadband Benefit is an emergency program developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The program will end once the program funds are exhausted, or six months after the Department of Health and Human Services declares an end to the pandemic, whichever comes first.
S&T will give you notice about the last date or billing cycle that the full benefit will apply to your bill and the date or billing cycle that a partial benefit will apply to your bill, in addition to information about the cost of your broadband service after the program ends.