About the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) Benefit

Here are six ways to qualify for the ACP. 

1. Participation in Lifeline, or a lifeline-qualifying program.

2. Having a household income at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines.

3. Participation in the free and reduced-price school lunch or breakfast program. (This includes Community Eligibility Provision.)

4. Participating in WIC.

5. Being awarded a Federal Pell Grant.

6. Participation in an existing low-income program already offered by your service provider. 

You are allowed to participate in both the APC and the Lifeline program, as long as you are eligible for both programs. This could potentially cover your entire broadband service bill. The Lifeline discount will be applied before the ACP benefit.

If your household is eligible, you could receive up to:

• A $30 per month discount on your internet service.

• A $75 per month discount if you’re on qualifying Tribal lands

• A one-time price reduction of $100 on a computer, laptop, or tablet. There is a minimum copayment of $10, while the maximum copayment is $50.

Households only qualify for a single service discount and a single device discount.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) provides a list of eligible broadband service providers for you to contact directly to learn about the plan offerings, such as TruConnect's ACP Plan.

The ACP program replaced the Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) program. Subscribers enrolled in the EBB program as of December 31, 2021, were given a 60-day transition period to continue their service under EBB and were required to opt-in to the new ACP benefit by March 1, 2021.

Here’s what’s changed:

1. Monthly Subsidy Amount: With EBB, the maximum monthly benefit was $50 per household. With ACP, it is now $30 a month per household unless you live on Tribal land. For those on tribal land, the monthly benefit will continue to be $75.
    
2. New Eligibility Requirements: ACP introduced additional ways for households to qualify for the phone and internet program, while also eliminating some of EBB's qualification criteria. This includes expanding the program to households receiving WIC benefits, as well as to households with an income at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. If your household qualified for EBB "due to a substantial loss of income as a result of a job loss or furlough since February 29, 2020, or by meeting the eligibility criteria for a participating provider's COVID-19 program", you will need to requalify for the ACP benefit.

If you already participate in the TruConnect Lifeline program, you are eligible for direct enrollment in the Affordable Connectivity Program. This means you do not need to submit a new application. If you’re already participating in a low-income program through your service provider, you also may be eligible for direct enrollment. Your service provider will need your consent before enrolling your household in the ACP benefit. 

If you are eligible for Affordable Connectivity Program through participation in a qualifying program, then you will need to submit documentation to prove participation. At a minimum, this document must include:

1. Your name or the name of your benefit qualifying person (BQP)
2. The qualifying program's name, such as WIC
3. The name of the government agency, Tribal agency, school, school district, program administrator, university, or college that wrote the document
4. An issue date within the last 12 months, or an expiration date in the future that is in alignment with your benefit period. Here are some exceptions:
   • If you qualify by using the Free and Reduced Price School Lunch Program, or School Breakfast Program (this includes US Department of Agriculture [USDA] Community Eligibility Provision schools), then your documents need to be from the present school year, or the year immediately prior.
   • If a member of your household is attending a USDA Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) school, then all you need to do is show that. An acceptable document contains the name of the enrolled student, the relevant school year, the name and address of the school, and their contact details. 
   • If you’re qualifying by being a Federal Pell Grant recipient, then your document must be from the current award year and can also include: screenshots that clearly show you or the student’s receipt of a Pell Grant, a letter written by the student’s school, such as a university, college, community college or career school), or one by the Department of Education stating that you or the student in your household is a current Pell Grant Recipient. Or you can use your student’s official financial aid award letter, which states the amount of the student’s Pell Grant award for the current year. You can also copy your student’s paid invoice for school since it will clearly show the receipt of a Pell Grant. 

For more information on ACP benefit qualifications and documentation submission: FCC's ACP Benefit.

You must provide documentation to prove your income to qualify for income eligibility for the ACP. You can submit copies of any of the following documents to verify your household income.

1. The previous year's tax return. (State, Federal, or Tribal)
2. Income statement from your employer or a paycheck stub that reflects your current income.
3. Statement of benefits from Social Security.
4. Statement of benefits from Unemployment or Workers’ Compensation.
5. Other official documents with income information such as a child support award or a divorce decree.

You can submit copies of these documents online, with your service provider, or by completing a paper application, (available in  English and Spanish).

PRO TIP from the USAC: For a more seamless review process, submit your application with a completed Household Worksheet (available in English and Spanish).