Federal Subsidy of $30 Available for Low-Cost Internet Service

The federal government continues its support program for internet connections with $30 off internet services and $75 off for people living on tribal lands. Added to that, Cox Communications is providing connections at twice the speed at no additional cost.

Internet service became an imperative for students during the pandemic when in-person classes shut down and a reliable internet connection was the only way to attend school. For people exposed to COVID-19, being able to get online was often the quickest, most convenient, and sometimes only way to make testing and vaccination appointments.

The current program replaces the Emergency Broadband Benefit that began in May 2021; it ended at the end of that year and was only extended for two months

Eligibility for the federal program includes households enrolled in Lifeline, food stamp, school lunch, Pell Grant, public housing, Head Start, Social Security, veterans, and other federal initiatives to combat poverty. Qualifying proof of income — in the form of a tax return or three paystubs — is 200 percent or less of federal poverty guidelines, or about $53,000 for a family of four.

The low-cost program through Cox Communications takes the basic 50 Mbps (megabits per second) service, which costs $39.99, and increases that to 100 Mbps. For more information on the $30 ConnectAssist and $9.95 per month Connect2Compete program for students, go to cox.com/digitalequity.

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