{"id":33876,"date":"2021-12-14T03:57:13","date_gmt":"2021-12-14T03:57:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/e-ratepaorg.local\/?p=33876"},"modified":"2021-12-18T03:57:49","modified_gmt":"2021-12-18T03:57:49","slug":"changes-coming-to-federal-ebb-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/?p=33876","title":{"rendered":"Changes Coming to Federal EBB Program"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #222222;\">December 14, 2021<\/span><\/p>\n<p>As part of the new Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Congress created a new, long-term program called the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) to provide Internet and connected device subsidies to low-income households.\u00a0 ACP will replace the previous, short-term Emergency Broadband Benefit Program (EBB) program that was included in the second COVID-relief bill in 2021.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What&#8217;s Changing from EBB to ACP?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The maximum monthly benefit will be reduced from $50 per month to $30 per month.\u00a0 Not changing:\u00a0 eligible households can also 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 and less than $50 toward the purchase price.<\/li>\n<li>Households have new ways to qualify for the Affordable Connectivity Program such as: receiving WIC benefits or having an income at or below 200% of the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Faspe.hhs.gov%2Fpoverty-guidelines&amp;data=04%7C01%7Cpl-erate%40lists.psu.edu%7Cd9e8676485bf4d95889708d9bf165e32%7C7cf48d453ddb4389a9c1c115526eb52e%7C0%7C0%7C637750925805883310%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&amp;sdata=78n7B%2B473BnkTguLTmFiAYhrrLS0G7o6no3XXiy0i2w%3D&amp;reserved=0\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Faspe.hhs.gov%252Fpoverty-guidelines%26data%3D04%257C01%257Cpl-erate%2540lists.psu.edu%257Cd9e8676485bf4d95889708d9bf165e32%257C7cf48d453ddb4389a9c1c115526eb52e%257C0%257C0%257C637750925805883310%257CUnknown%257CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%253D%257C3000%26sdata%3D78n7B%252B473BnkTguLTmFiAYhrrLS0G7o6no3XXiy0i2w%253D%26reserved%3D0&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1639882642824000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3LZzylESGWdJSwh8Ey92I6\">Federal Poverty Guidelines<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<em>Note:\u00a0 The NSLP requires only requires incomes to be 185% or below the federal poverty guidelines, thus the income levels to qualify for ACP are slightly lower than qualifying for NSLP.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Households that qualified for EBB due to a substantial loss of income due to job loss or furlough since February 29,\u00a02020\u00a0or by meeting the eligibility criteria for a participating provider&#8217;s COVID-19 program will need to requalify for the Affordable Connectivity Program.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Note:\u00a0 The EBB program also permitted all households that had at least one student attending a USDA CEP school to automatically qualify for the EBB benefits (PA has 1170 CEP participating schools).\u00a0 The FCC is currently\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdocs.fcc.gov%2Fpublic%2Fattachments%2FDA-21-1453A1.pdf&amp;data=04%7C01%7Cpl-erate%40lists.psu.edu%7Cd9e8676485bf4d95889708d9bf165e32%7C7cf48d453ddb4389a9c1c115526eb52e%7C0%7C0%7C637750925805883310%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&amp;sdata=fukz%2FVIGqlJTfGRWYHRGx47t5skiZ74y%2BOPQda%2BuX4w%3D&amp;reserved=0\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fdocs.fcc.gov%252Fpublic%252Fattachments%252FDA-21-1453A1.pdf%26data%3D04%257C01%257Cpl-erate%2540lists.psu.edu%257Cd9e8676485bf4d95889708d9bf165e32%257C7cf48d453ddb4389a9c1c115526eb52e%257C0%257C0%257C637750925805883310%257CUnknown%257CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%253D%257C3000%26sdata%3Dfukz%252FVIGqlJTfGRWYHRGx47t5skiZ74y%252BOPQda%252BuX4w%253D%26reserved%3D0&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1639882642825000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1X7BII4RRN7mygHQfM_xay\">seeking comments<\/a>\u00a0on various ACP policy issues and the automatic CEP-qualification is one area where the FCC\u00a0<em>may<\/em>\u00a0make a change as it has been\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdocs.fcc.gov%2Fpublic%2Fattachments%2FDOC-378079A1.pdf&amp;data=04%7C01%7Cpl-erate%40lists.psu.edu%7Cd9e8676485bf4d95889708d9bf165e32%7C7cf48d453ddb4389a9c1c115526eb52e%7C0%7C0%7C637750925805883310%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&amp;sdata=jIGhlsIkgZIibn1h7rlPgDGJfCz1fakFrZ6AvlqUDwc%3D&amp;reserved=0\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fdocs.fcc.gov%252Fpublic%252Fattachments%252FDOC-378079A1.pdf%26data%3D04%257C01%257Cpl-erate%2540lists.psu.edu%257Cd9e8676485bf4d95889708d9bf165e32%257C7cf48d453ddb4389a9c1c115526eb52e%257C0%257C0%257C637750925805883310%257CUnknown%257CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%253D%257C3000%26sdata%3DjIGhlsIkgZIibn1h7rlPgDGJfCz1fakFrZ6AvlqUDwc%253D%26reserved%3D0&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1639882642825000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3-kkRwdvxxPKo7wPX3pYGR\">reported<\/a>\u00a0that some service providers were fraudulently enrolling EBB participants by falsely claiming a student attended a CEP school.\u00a0 I\u2019ll let you know what the FCC ultimately decides.<\/p>\n<p><strong>When Will ACP Begin?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Applications for the current EBB program are still being accepted at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.getemergencybroadband.org%2F&amp;data=04%7C01%7Cpl-erate%40lists.psu.edu%7Cd9e8676485bf4d95889708d9bf165e32%7C7cf48d453ddb4389a9c1c115526eb52e%7C0%7C0%7C637750925805883310%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&amp;sdata=VRNuFjUA3pyUPAEf0RblVi%2F41bJeGy9YMRPPMIruFVw%3D&amp;reserved=0\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.getemergencybroadband.org%252F%26data%3D04%257C01%257Cpl-erate%2540lists.psu.edu%257Cd9e8676485bf4d95889708d9bf165e32%257C7cf48d453ddb4389a9c1c115526eb52e%257C0%257C0%257C637750925805883310%257CUnknown%257CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%253D%257C3000%26sdata%3DVRNuFjUA3pyUPAEf0RblVi%252F41bJeGy9YMRPPMIruFVw%253D%26reserved%3D0&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1639882642825000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1FCx1wh-7BM--oMldP9Cru\">https:\/\/www.getemergencybroadband.org\/<\/a>\u00a0or consumers can simply reach out to a local Internet Service Provider to enroll.\u00a0 Enrollment for the EBB Program will end on December 30, 2021 and any consumers enrolled in the EBB Program before 6 p.m. ET on December 30, 2021 will continue to receive their current monthly benefit (up to $50\/month) during the 60-day transition period, which ends on March 1, 2022.\u00a0 After the transition period, the maximum monthly benefit will change from $50 per month to $30 per month for households.\u00a0 Applications for the new ACP program will be accepted beginning December 31, 2021.<\/p>\n<p>For general program support, consumers should email\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:EBBHelp@usac.org?subject=\">EBBHelp@usac.org<\/a>\u00a0or call the Emergency Broadband Support Center at 833-511-0311 for assistance.<\/p>\n<p>Julie Tritt Schell<br \/>\nPennsylvania E-rate Coordinator<br \/>\n<a href=\"mailto:jtschell@comcast.net\">jtschell@comcast.net<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Furldefense.proofpoint.com%2Fv2%2Furl%3Fu%3Dhttp-3A__www.e-2Dratepa.org_%26d%3DDwMFAg%26c%3DOiLvY2co1M-RscITtV9DJw%26r%3DS721QuK6ZpNiI61-26Eu9tfg5GvToARdCShpKHZ8oPM%26m%3DISsjVTkuPy4_JptpyLVbUK25xJ3_t8ZQWc2PVENWjWI%26s%3D9E1UJWoWopXxMjL1mCIc7ycH77NHsBOPCTwYpJeGiOw%26e%3D&amp;data=04%7C01%7Cpl-erate%40lists.psu.edu%7Cd9e8676485bf4d95889708d9bf165e32%7C7cf48d453ddb4389a9c1c115526eb52e%7C0%7C0%7C637750925805883310%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&amp;sdata=zEYSzdiQRFAyeuHga5YKwuoWxKfOA2IqAm4AJ0iHrZo%3D&amp;reserved=0\" 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class=\"twitter-share-button\" data-size=\"large\">Tweet<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>December 14, 2021<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[52],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33876","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-listserve_archive"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33876","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=33876"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33876\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=33876"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=33876"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/e-ratepa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=33876"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}