DALLAS, Jan. 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --
What's the news? AT&T* and
Cricket Wireless opened enrollment today for the new federal
Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which lowers the monthly
cost of broadband service for eligible customers and will help
close the digital divide.
Congress recently created the long-term $14 billion Affordable Connectivity Program,
which replaces the temporary Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB)
program. This investment will help ensure that substantially more
Americans can afford the broadband connections they need for work,
school, healthcare and more.
Why is this important? Affordability is one of the key
roadblocks to narrowing the digital divide. The ACP will provide
eligible customers with federal benefits that can be applied to
home internet or wireless services from AT&T and Cricket
Wireless.
What's new?
Under the ACP, the maximum monthly benefit will change to up to
$30 per month for eligible
households. The monthly benefit will remain at $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal
lands. Existing EBB customers will continue to receive monthly
benefits of up to $50 per month
through March 1.
Households will also have new ways to qualify for ACP such as:
receiving WIC benefits or having an income at or below 200% of
the Federal Poverty Guidelines. You can find all
eligibility requirements at acpbenefit.org.
When does this change take effect?
New customers can
confirm eligibility with the National Verifier and enroll in the
ACP today. EBB enrollment ended December 30,
2021.
I'm currently receiving the Emergency Broadband Benefit
(EBB). What do I need to do?
Nothing right now. Your current
benefit will remain the same through March
1. To receive ACP benefit after March
1, you may be contacted by the Universal Services
Administrative Co. (USAC) to reverify your eligibility. If you
qualified under the EBB COVID temporary loss of income criteria,
the National Verifier will need to reverify your eligibility under
different criteria prior to March
1.
The main thing to remember is that the monthly subsidy will
decrease from the EBB program's $50
maximum to up to $30 under the ACP on
March 1 (there is no change to the
Tribal benefit).
I never participated in the EBB. How do I enroll in the
ACP?
Step 1 – You must first apply to the federal
government's National Verifier at ACPBenefit.org to determine if
you are eligible for ACP. Eligibility is determined by the federal
government, not by AT&T. You may get approved online in just a
few minutes, although it could take up to a few days if an
application requires a manual review.
Step 2 – Once approved, you will be able to order new
AT&T Internet or prepaid wireless service, or have the benefit
applied to your existing service. More details on the process will
be available at att.com/acp.
What AT&T and Cricket Wireless services are eligible for
the benefit?
You can find out details on which AT&T services are
available by going to att.com/acp or to
cricketwireless.com/ACP for information on Cricket Wireless
plans. There you can find out about our home internet service,
which is available in 21 states as well as our nationwide
prepaid wireless services from Cricket Wireless and AT&T
PREPAID.
*About AT&T Communications
We help family, friends and neighbors connect in meaningful ways
every day. From the first phone call 140+ years ago to mobile video
streaming, we @ATT innovate to improve lives. AT&T
Communications is part of AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T). For more
information, please visit us at att.com.
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AT&T and the Globe logo are registered trademarks of AT&T
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SOURCE AT&T Communications