March 7, 2022 | Written By Sarah Wolf, Columbian staff writer
Media giant Comcast recently announced it’d be participating in the federal Affordable Connectivity Program, allowing qualified customers to receive a $30 per month credit that can be applied to any tier of Xfinity’s internet service.
The company also created a new tier of internet service, Internet Essentials Plus, which provides 100 megabits per second download speeds, a cable modem and a wireless internet router for $30 per month. That makes it free once the government credit is applied. The credit could also be applied to customers using Xfinity Mobile.
To qualify for the program, a customer must be in the free and reduced-priced school lunch or breakfast program, have an income less than 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines or have received a federal Pell Grant in the current award year.
Comcast says the program could connect 27,000 households in Clark County that qualify for the monthly credit.
“The Affordable Connectivity Program is another important step in helping the residents of Clark County connect to the transformative power of the internet,” said Amy Keiter, director of external communications for Comcast Oregon/Southwest Washington.
Keiter added the company is trying to ensure that all of those who qualify are aware and can sign up for the program.
“We are also expanding the range of services eligible for the benefit to include both in-home internet and mobile plans that can help our customers save money or even get internet for free.”
The Affordable Connectivity Program was created to allow households to be able to afford the broadband internet they might need for school, work or health care. The $14 billion program was mandated by Congress as part of the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that passed in November, and it replaced the Emergency Broadband Benefit, which expired in December of last year.
The emergency benefit, which dates back to May 2021, was aimed to help people afford internet service during the pandemic. This new program, which is administered by the Federal Communications Commission, is a permanent extension of the Emergency Broadband Benefit, though did include some changes.
The primary change is that the Emergency Broadband Benefit was a $50 per month credit, whereas the Affordable Connectivity Program is $20 less. The benefit was and will remain higher — $75 per month — for those living on tribal lands.
The federal program is limited to one monthly service discount per household. For a full list of Washington internet and mobile providers participating in the program, visit: https://www.fcc.gov/affordable-connectivity-program-providers#Washington.