Get $30 off your internet and $100 toward a computer with the Affordable Connectivity Program

Meme Karluah needs to undergo monthly trainings for her job as a nursing aid in an assisted living community. Sometimes, three or four times per month even — all online. Her five kids rely on the internet for schoolwork, two of whom just graduated high school and college. Without it, she said their lives would need to change drastically.

Karluah doesn’t have to worry about paying for the internet as she gets it for free under the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP).

“Before this program, there were times when we couldn’t pay the internet bill and it would be turned off,” Karluah said, leaving her kids needing to stay after school to do homework using the school WiFi. “Now, everybody has a phone in the house and everybody has a computer — they all want to go to college, too — so I can say it’s definitely a benefit for them.”

In recent years, cities have provided free or discounted internet through programs like Philadelphia’s PHLConnectED, which was introduced when schools went remote during COVID-19 restrictions. These programs are evolving with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rolling out its own discounted internet program across the country with the ACP.

According to Benefits Data Trust, a Philadelphia-based tech nonprofit that works on increasing access to public programs, about one out of every three residents is eligible for this program. Depending on the service plan chosen, many will receive internet each month for free.

The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) gives households a discount on their internet services and on devices that connect to the internet — in many cases, making the internet free for eligible households.

Important note: Apply ASAP because this program has a shelf life. By mid-2024, the federal funds available to pay for this program will be depleted, according to an analysis by The Hill. The federal government may continue to fund the program, but that isn’t confirmed.

For eligible households, ACP will provide a monthly discount of up to $30 to pay toward the household’s home or mobile internet bill. For eligible households on Tribal land, the discount is up to $75 per month.

According to Karluah, her family pays $0 per month on internet services by using Xfinity’s Internet Essentials program at $9.95/month for up to 50 Mbps internet, which is double the speed of what the FCC considers “high-speed Internet.” Households can also take advantage of the Internet Essentials Plus program, costing $29.95/month for up to 100 Mbps internet, which is best suited for large households.

With either of these internet programs, households will spend $0 per month on internet using the ACP benefit.

What happens if a household’s internet bill is less than the $30 discount? Then the remainder of the monthly ACP benefit can be applied toward the household’s cellphone bill if their cellphone service and internet provider are the same.

Additionally, there is a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers if the household contributes more than $10 and less than $50 toward the device’s purchase price.

Households are eligible for the ACP benefit if the household’s total income is at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines ($60,000 per year for a family of four, $29,160 per year for an individual).

Additionally, a household can be eligible if any member of the household:

To find more information on eligibility, visit fcc.gov/acp.

There are two steps to applying and receiving ACP benefits.

In order to apply, you’ll need to provide proof of identification, income, and participation in public benefits (if any). Here’s everything that entails:

Some applicants will be approved automatically based on their eligibility, but most applicants should expect a few days of processing time before approval. After your application is approved, you will receive an ACP Identification Number that you will use when contacting a participating provider.

There are more than 1,300 internet providers participating in the ACP, and all of them are able to discount your internet bill through the ACP. However, not every provider participates in the discounted device benefit.

Once your ACP internet provider processes your enrollment, you will work with them to have internet installed in your home and/or set up mobile devices.

Any Philadelphian can contact the city’s Digital Navigators to get free help on applying for the ACP, digital literacy support, and to get connected to adult education and workforce programs.

Expert sources

• Meme Karluah, Philadelphia resident, Beyond Literacy student and ACP benefit recipient
• Kieran Farrell, student support services manager, Beyond Literacy
• Trooper Sanders, CEO, Benefits Data Trust