Multifamily assisted households are eligible to enroll in the Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB), a Federal Communications Commission subsidy program to help families and households struggling to afford internet service during the COVID-19 pandemic.
EBB provides a discount of up to $50 per month towards broadband service for eligible households. Eligible households may also be able to receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer or tablet from participating providers if they contribute more than $10 toward the purchase price.
A household is eligible for EBB if a member of the household meets one of these criteria:
- Income at or below 135 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines or participates in certain assistance programs, such as SNAP, Medicaid or Lifeline;
- Approved to receive benefits under the free and reduced-price school lunch program or the school breakfast program, including through the USDA Community Eligibility Provision in the 2019-2020 or 2020-2021 school year;
- Received a Federal Pell Grant during the current award year;
- Experienced a substantial loss of income due to job loss or furlough since February 29, 2020, and the household had a total income in 2020 at or below $99,000 for single filers and $198,000 for joint filers; or
- Meets the eligibility criteria for a participating Internet Service Provider’s existing low-income or COVID-19 program.
