The White House announced Monday that low-income Americans now have more options for free high-speed Internet access, including at least eight providers serving Southern California.
Federal government Launched affordable calling program at the end of last year To provide a subsidy of $30 per month to families whose income is no more than twice the federal poverty level. But this support was less than the amount many ISPs charge for a high-speed connection fast enough to support an entire family of active users.
On Monday, the White House revealed that 20 broadband providers across the country, including five of the largest television and cable television companies, have agreed to provide “high enough” connections for no more than $30 per month to eligible homes. Eight of these serve communities in Southern California: AT&T, Comcast, Cox, Frontier, Mediacom, Spectrum, Starry, and Verizon.
As part of the agreement, the White House said, Spectrum — which serves most of Los Angeles County — doubled its $30 per month bandwidth from 50 to 100 megabits per second for eligible households. Verizon slashed the price of its 200Mbps wired offering from $40 to $30 a month.
Several other Internet providers in California participate in the affordable calling program, including some such as TruConnect that provide mobile broadband service. The only companies highlighted by the White House were those that provide 100 megabits per second connections for download at no cost to eligible households.
However, eliminating the cost of a broadband connection only removes one of the barriers to wider adoption of the Internet. Other obstacles include the need for a smart device and the knowledge to use it, said Sun Wright McPeak, president of the California Tech Emerging Fund.
However, the biggest problem may be that most people who qualify for benefits are not aware of or are not interested in them. For example, nearly half of Los Angeles County households have incomes low enough to qualify for the federal benefit, McPeak said, but less than a quarter of that group has registered. And the rest may be difficult to access; They are less likely to see online ads for a broadband service provider promoting subsidies, for example.
The White House said Monday that it is trying to raise the profile of the program by having federal safety net agencies tell participants about it, and by working with outreach efforts by public interest groups. The California legislature is also considering a bill (AB 2751) that may require state broadband service providers to offer and advertise affordable Internet connections to low-income households.
Here’s how to find out if you qualify for subsidies and which broadband providers they offer.
Am I eligible, and how do I apply?
cut off income is 200% of Federal poverty level, which is higher for larger families. For a single individual, the minimum is $27,180 per year. For a family of four, it’s $55,500.
But there’s an easier way to check your eligibility: You qualify for the program if anyone in your family is enrolled in at least one of 10 types of safety net programs, including food stamps, Medicare, Supplemental Security Income, Pell grants and the federal public housing subsidies. Recipients of select tribal benefit programs are also eligible, and subsidies on tribal lands are higher: $75 per month.
To find out if you are eligible or to apply, you can visitGet online‘, which can guide you through the process. mail app Also available on Get Internet; It can also be found in the Affordable Connection Program How to apply page. However, all of these resources require access to the Internet and a computer, tablet or smartphone.
If you have questions about how to apply but don’t have an internet connection, you can call the program’s Help Center at toll-free: (877) 384-2575.
Once your application is approved, your subsidies will flow directly to the participating broadband provider of your choice. To find one in your area, check out Program List, which you can search by zip code or city. The list includes more than 90 participating providers near Los Angeles, although many of these are companies that resell service on one of the major wireless networks.
If you already have Internet access, your broadband provider may have its own application process for subsidies. You should start by checking with your Internet Service Provider.
What services are available?
Subsidies will drive either a fixed line to your home or a mobile broadband connection to your smartphone. You’ll likely get more bandwidth from a fixed connection – wireless service providers usually apply much lower limits on how much data you can use per month.
The federal program also includes a $100 discount on low-cost laptops and tablets, but not many broadband providers offer hardware subsidies. The only exception among the state’s largest television and cable companies is Cox, which serves Santa Barbara and Lots of Orange and San Diego County.
There is one additional federal support of $10 per month, called Lifeline, that businesses in most states can combine with the Affordable Connection Program to fund services for eligible low-income families. Meanwhile, California has a special Lifeline support that adds about $15.50 to federal Lifeline assistance.
But Matt Johnson, TruConnect’s co-CEO, said California is the only state that won’t allow wireless companies to pool Lifeline and Connectivity Program funds into a single customer-optimized offering. He said cable TV and wired phone companies could do this — a point the California Public Utilities Commission disputes — but for wireless customers, that’s one or the other. As a result, he said, TruConnect cannot offer as much bandwidth to eligible households in California as it does in other states.
CPUC spokesperson Terry de Prosper said in an email that wireless and wired broadband providers currently receive the same amount of support, and none of them combine Lifeline and Affordable Connectivity support. She said the committee was reviewing the staff’s proposal to change that policy.
How many people still need broadband?
A survey conducted last year by the USC and the California Emerging Technology Fund found that 91% of Californians interviewed had access to the Internet. But the survey also found that more than a quarter of low-income Californians surveyed either have no internet (16%) or just a data plan on their smartphone (10%).
The survey authors said the lack of a high-speed connection at home makes it increasingly difficult to work, study or receive medical care remotely. In other words, it puts lower-income families at a greater disadvantage than they really are.
McPeak said one advantage of the latest White House push is that it will increase access to low-income families by trusted authorities. She said such efforts could yield important results; When her group and Los Angeles County joined forces in trying to spread the word about broadband support late last year, county enrollment soared. 43% in about three weeks.
But McPeak said many of these families still need reliable sources to persuade and help them get online. This requires funding for community groups that can overcome language and cultural barriers to adopt and improve digital literacy, she said.
How long will the support last?
Unlike its predecessor, now defunct Emergency Broadband FundThe affordable calling program has no expiration date. But Congress can choose at any time to cut the funding, which is one reason the California Tech Startup Fund pushed AB 2751, which would keep a version of the program alive if the Fed abandoned it.
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