From a blog post by Alejandro Roark, Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau Chief, Federal Communications Commission:
... The Federal Communications Commission wants everyone to access reasonably priced internet services. We recently launched a new program to reduce the cost of getting online.
The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) provides a discount of up to:
- $30 per month toward internet service for eligible households.
- $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal lands.
Eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 toward purchasing a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers. To qualify for this one-time discount, households must contribute more than $10 and less than $50 toward the purchase price.
Any household with an individual who receives Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is eligible to receive discounted internet service through the ACP. Social Security doesn’t count ACP assistance as income or a resource for SSI purposes. Receipt of this assistance will not affect your SSI payment. You may also be eligible, if your household participates in other assistance programs, such as:
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
- Medicaid.
- Federal Public Housing Assistance.
- Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).
- Lifeline.
If you don’t receive SSI or participate in another qualifying assistance program, you may also be eligible if your household income is at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. ...
For more information about the program, please email ACPinfo@fcc.gov or call 877-384-2575.
10 comments:
Genuinely surprised that this is not intended to be counted as an asset/resource for SSI recipients. Also curious if the FCC got SSA's agreement on that. Good if it works out.
SSA shouldn’t be worried about a HH or recipient getting a $30 credit towards internet service. If we don’t care any other needs based assistance, no reason to worry about this one.
As a matter of fact, SSA can now spin this as the the SSI recipient having fewer excuses to not having access to the internet.
Didn't those free Obama phones come with data?
Limited of course
11:31 AM doesn't understand the difference between income and resources. Also not aware of household goods rule.
Sheesh
We are seeing this program used a bit in the area now that the word is getting out. Oddly enough we are seeing it being used by older low income folks, they are getting online to be in contact with family over social media. We even had to start offering monthly classes to teach some basics. Havent seen many disabled folks for assistance with this, it may be taking time to filter out since they dont see it online.
@9:07
11:31 here. No, I just have a well informed understanding of how SSA operates and am surprised SSA is not unreasonably taking this as an opportunity to reduce SSI benefit payments even if doing so would obviously be inconsistent with how household goods and personal effects and income are defined under the relevant regulations and POMS.
But SSA doesn’t just arbitrarily change the rules on a whim. Evidenced by the inability to not count unemployment and other pandemic assistance during Covid-19.
The agency, not Congress for that matter, dare touch SSI in any negative way. They won’t even change it for the better!
Actually, in many cases the SSI recipient isn't "getting" anything at all. Our adult son gets SSI and lives in our home and the ACP lets me file for it since eligibility is "someone you live with currently receives a government benefit (i.e., SSI)." It's a discount on the internet bill I pay for. In many cases, my internet provider is providing 300MB service at $0 as their lifeline cost is offset by this benefit, resulting in "free" internet service.
We should all get free internet service
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