How To Get An Emergency Broadband Benefit Free Tablet – If you are looking for a free tablet from the emergency broadband benefits then you are on the right track because here all the related details are mentioned below that will help you in getting free tablets. This program is for the people who are unable to afford the tablets like gadgets due to their high prices. So, give it a read.
Now some of you might already know that the EBB is the emergency broadband benefit program and this is one of the most well-known response programs in the whole United States that was announced by the US government for helping needy people. The main purpose of this program is to help people during the time of the covid-19 pandemic. The best part is that this program works well during the time of pandemic and people who want to work online but due to high prices are not able to purchase laptops, smartphones, tablets, etc. then, in this case, this program helps them in getting these gadgets.
The COVID-19 pandemic was a major catastrophe that affected people in all corners of the world. Earning a livelihood was one of the biggest challenges for any individual amid the repeated lockdown. To lower the digital divide and make sure low-income American households can stay connected to the internet in the United States Congress set aside a budget of $3.2 million for the FCC to offer low-cost internet-connected devices and discounted internet services to poor and vulnerable households and individuals under the Consolidated Appropriation Act of 2021.
The Emergency Broadband Benefit Program was established on 25th February 2021. This was an emergency assistance initiative to help people who were affected by the pandemic. This guide will throw light on how the Emergency Broadband Benefits Program helped people with free tablets and how you can qualify for ACP-free tablets today.
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What Was The Emergency Broadband Benefit Program?
Congress appropriated nearly $3.2 million in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 to the FCC to help low-income American households pay for connected internet devices and broadband services. The Emergency Broadband Benefit Program helps low-income households in America by discounting up to $50 monthly for broadband services for eligible low-income customers.
Individuals who are living on qualifying tribal lands in the USA received enhanced support up to $75 monthly towards their broadband services. Moreover, the program helped with a one-time device discount of up to $100 for desktop computer, laptop or tablet purchases through any participating provider. This one-time discount required consumers to co-pay an amount in the range of $10 to $50. The Affordable Connectivity Program replaced the Emergency Broadband Benefit at the beginning of December 31st, 2021.
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Emergency Broadband Benefit Program: News And Statistics
Nearly 1.5 million American households have enrolled in the Emergency Broadband Benefit program during the first 12 days of the program launch. As of 13 June 2021, nearly 2,553,283 American households enrolled in the EBB program among which 66,505 households belonged to tribal lands. Following are the statistics and news based on the information published on 14 June 2021 about the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program.
- More than 900 broadband service providers participated in the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program
- Over 239,336 American households enrolled in the program between 7 to 13 June 2021
- The most enrolments for this program were in the state of California with 250,234 applying households
- The least enrollment for the program was in the state of Wyoming with only 783 household
- 81,474 combined enrolled households were from American Samoa, Northern Mariana Island, Gumm, Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
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How Did The EBB Program Work?
During the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of Americans lost their jobs while daily wagers were out of their work suddenly. The debt and bills began to pile up making it difficult for individuals to make ends meet. The EBB program was a temporary solution to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19. EBB was an excellent government assistance program that was replaced by the Affordable Connectivity Program in 2021.
The program helped low-income families to stay connected with their friends and family members across the globe. With this program students belonging to low-income categories could complete their school papers and homework, unemployed individuals could find suitable jobs or learn skill sets and individuals could access online stores and healthcare easily.
The program was managed by USAC and leveraged existing infrastructure from the federal Lifeline program. Applicants had to choose a participating service provider in their area of residence and get discounts from the provider every month.
The program utilized various Lifeline systems for instance in the National Lifeline Accountability database, Lifeline National Verifier as well and the Lifeline Claim System Pulls were employed to verify subscriber eligibility, reimbursing service providers and managing their enrollments.
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Are Lifeline And EBB The Same?
No, The EBB program and the Lifeline program are not connected to one another. However the benefits of both the programs are somewhat similar. In some cases, benefits given under the ACP (formerly the EBB program) are much better than the Lifeline program. ACP discounts can range up to $50 while Lifeline gives you a discount of about $9.25 in a month. Both are government programs with different plans and benefits.
List Of Benefits Of The Emergency Broadband Benefit Program
The Emergency Broadband Benefit Program was a helpful initiative by the federal government to ensure that low-income households that have been impacted by the economic implications of the COVID-19 pandemic could stay connected with their friends and family and access many online opportunities. Following are some notable benefits of the program.
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Broadband Internet Discounts
The Emergency Broadband Benefit provided households with amazing discount deals up to $50 per month for their broadband internet services. Qualifying tribal lands could get enhanced discounts of up to $75 per month. This helped them to mitigate their financial burden during the COVID-19 pandemic
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Device Discounts
Apart from providing service discounts the program provided a one-time discount of up to $100 toward the purchase of a desktop, laptop or tablet. This was geared towards low-income households who had no access to the internet and technology so that they could access devices and ease their lives.
The EBB program was limited to only one monthly broadband service discount as well as one device service discount per eligible household. It was a temporary measure for COVID-19 relief to address the internet accessibility challenges and was later replaced by the permanent Affordable Connectivity Program that offers similar benefits and discounts.
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EBB Free Tablet Program: Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for the Emergency Broadband Free Tablet Program individuals or household members had to fulfill certain eligibility criteria such as the following.
- An annual household income of less than 135% of the federal poverty guidelines
- Must show one or more children in the applying household get benefits under the Free and Reduced-price School Lunch or Breakfast Program under the USDA community eligibility provision
- The household or at least one individual of the household received assistance from federal or state government assistance programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program WIC, Medicaid, Lifeline etc.
- The household must meet the eligibility criteria for existing COVID-19 or low-income initiatives offered by the Emergency Broadband participant provider
- Any one of the household members should be the recipient of the federal Pell Grant program in the ongoing award
- The household must prove they have experienced a significant loss of income due to the loss of a job as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The income of the household must be equal to or less than $99,000 for single filers or $198,000 for joint filers.
Applying households could apply for the Emergency Broadband Program by choosing a provider from the list of participating broadband providers and applying for the EBB program by visiting the official website. Alternatively, they could call the federal government’s helpline number at 833-511-0311 between 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM. If you have qualified for the EBB program then you will qualify for the ACP program that replaced it.
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Which Providers Participated In The Emergency Broadband Benefit Program?
The Federal Communication Commission provided a long list of service providers participating in the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program. The participants may vary depending on the state of residents however they provided fixed mobile internet, home Internet or both plans.
You can check the FCC chart to see the carriers that participated in Emergency Broadband Benefits in your state. Following is the short list of major providers.
- Cricket Wireless
- EarthLink
- Xfinity
- Spectrum
- AT&T
- Cox
- CenturyLink
- Tracfone
- UScellular
- Verizon
- Spectrum
- T-Mobile
- Q Link Wireless
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What Tablets Were Available With The Emergency Broadband Benefit Program?
The type and brand of tablets available for free for households with the EBB program varied depending on the provider.
The EBB service provider usually gave refurbished tablets to qualified applicants. However, those tablets were in good condition. Following is the list of tablets provided through the EBB program.
- Apple iPad 10.2
- Amazon Fire 7
- Huawei media pad T3
- Huawei media pad T5
- Lenovo Smart Tab M 10
- Lenovo Tab E10
What Is The Affordable Connectivity Program (Formerly The Emergency Broadband Benefit)?
The Emergency Broadband Benefit Program was a temporary solution created by the FCC to help struggling households and families who could not afford internet service because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Affordable Connectivity Program has replaced the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program and helps to connect eligible American households to critical healthcare services, jobs, virtual classrooms and many more things online. It is an initiative designed by the Federal Communication Commission to ensure households can continue to afford broadband services after the COVID-19 situation.
Under the ACP program low-income households can receive the following benefits:
- Discount up to $30 per month on internet service
- Discount up to $75 per month if the household is living on qualifying tribal lands
- Low-cost service plan that can be covered fully
- A one-time discount up to $100 for tablet, laptop or desktop computer if an individual can co-pay an amount in the range between $10 to $50
- You can check the eligibility criteria and the application procedure details about ACP benefits by visiting the USACP Affordable Connectivity Program website.
Note: As of 8 February 2024, the FCC is not accepting new applications for the Affordable Connectivity Program due to a lack of available funding. Even though the program was intended to be a long-term and permanent solution to the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program with no predetermined end date it cannot continue to operate and provide help to needy households if Congress doesn’t fund the program. In case the proposed bipartisan funding bill is not approved within two months the program will run out of funds and will shut permanently. To learn more about the program visit ACP’s official website.
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When And Why Did The ACP Replace The EBB Program?
The Affordable Connectivity Program was designed as a long-term or permanent extension of the EBB program and so it was replaced on 31st December 2021. Congress mandated that the creation of the ACP program was a part of the Infrastructure Investment and Job Act that came into law in November 2021.
The program continues to offer low-income household discounts on broadband services and connected devices however with small changes in the benefits and eligibility criteria from that of the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program. This law authorized the FCC to conduct outreach for the Affordable Connectivity Program including granting provisions to the outreach partner so that awareness of the program can be increased among participants of government-assisted programs.
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Who Is Eligible For The Affordable Connectivity Program?
To be eligible for the Affordable Connectivity Program households have to meet criteria such as the following
- The applicant must be 18 years of age or be an emancipated minor
- The applicant must meet eligibility criteria for a participating provider existing low-income internet program
- The annual household income should be at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines.
- Additionally applicants can qualify for the Affordable Connectivity Program and enjoy discounted broadband services or connected devices by proving their participation in the following government assistance programs.
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
- WIC
- Federal Public Housing Assistance or Section 8
- Supplemental Security Income
- National School Lunch Program or the School Breakfast Program
- Receive a federal Pell Grant during the current award year
- Must participate in tribal assistance programs like Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance, Food Distribution Programs on Indian reservations etc.
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What Are The Documents Required To Qualify For The Affordable Connectivity Program?
It is important to gather relevant documents beforehand to streamline the ACP free tablet application procedure and get started quickly. In this section, we have covered a list of documents that you need to provide to the authorities to get a free ACP tablet.
Income Verification Documents
- Paycheck stubs
- Retirement or pension statement of benefits
- Divorce decree
- Child support award
- Social Security statement of benefits
- Current income statement from your employer
- Unemployment or workers’ compensation statement of benefits
- Veteran Administration statement of benefits
- Previous years’ federal, state or tribal tax return.
Government Benefits Participation
- Government approval letter
- Statement of benefits
- Benefit verification letter
- Benefit award letter.
Identification Documents
- Certificate of US citizenship or naturalization
- Most recent W2 or tax return
- Passport
- Birth certificate
- US driver’s license
- A valid military, state, federal or tribal ID
- Permanent resident card or green card
- Utility bill
- Household worksheet
- Utility bill and lease agreement
- Mortgage or lease statement.
The aforementioned points are general guidelines and the particular documents requested may vary depending on your circumstance and state of residence.
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How To Apply For Free Tablets From The Affordable Connectivity Program?
If you’re interested in getting a free tablet through the ACP that replaced the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program then follow the below-mentioned steps
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Check Your Eligibility
The first and foremost step is to check your eligibility for the affordable connectivity-free tablet program. You can visit the ACP website and enter your information in the online form. To be eligible you must belong to the low income category or have proof of your residency in one of the participating states or territories.
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Complete Application Procedure
If you can fulfill the eligibility criteria then you can complete the application form. The application will seek your information about your household and income situation. Once you complete the application you have to submit the relevant documents.
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Receive And Activate Your Tablet
Once you are approved for the ACP Free Tablet Program you will receive a new tablet through mail. The tablet will come with all instructions about how you can activate it. Once you activate it you can access a variety of free information and educational resources.
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List Of Best ACP Free Tablets Providers
If you’re eligible for the Affordable Connectivity Program you need to inform your internet service provider about your participation in the federal program so that they can apply your discount to your monthly internet bill. Various broadband providers are offering wired, wireless and mobile broadband services by participating in the Affordable Connectivity Program.
Based on your location you have choices between several providers such as the following
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Conclusion
In today’s digital world affording internet packages is not easy for everyone. Low-income families who are unable to purchase internet packages every month due to their financial capacity could get free tablets and internet facilities by applying for government assistance. The Emergency Broadband Benefit Program has ended however you can get similar benefits through the Affordable Connectivity Program. The program provides similar benefits and has almost the same eligibility criteria. The Federal Communications Commission introduced the ACP program to help people in various ways so that they can access technology and enter the virtual internet world with discounted internet packages.
Find out how to get a free government phone and tablet by checking our detailed guide at the Get Government Grants and browse through the available resources to learn more.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does My ACP Free Tablet come with a warranty?
Most of the ACP free tablets come with a warranty from the manufacturer. But you have to remember one thing: the warranty terms can be different for different tablets. Your service provider can give you more updates regarding this.
Which companies are participating in the Lifeline Program?
Lifeline services are provided by a number of companies but there are also some of the most popular and well-known companies that provide the Lifeline services such as Assurance Wireless, Sprint, Verizon, AT&T, and Qlink Wireless. These companies provide you with many types of plans and services.
Can existing Lifeline subscribers apply for an ACP tablet?
If you are a Lifeline subscriber and you have qualified for the Lifeline program then you can qualify for the ACP. You can get benefits from both programs at the same time.