The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) will begin enrolling qualified households into their Emergency Broadband Benefit Program (EBB) on May 12, 2021. This program helps qualified households with discounts on broadband service up to $50 per month. Eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer or tablet from a participating provider if they contribute more than $10 and less than $50 toward the purchase price.
Congress has allocated $3.2 billion to fund the EBB program. This money will be spent nationwide and the Arkansas Department of Commerce is encouraging Arkansans to visit www.fcc.gov/broadbandbenefit and see the qualification. Citizens are urged to see if they qualify and get any documents they need ready for when enrollment opens Wednesday, May 12, 2021. The public can use the same website to enroll for the benefits.
The EBB program will end when the funds run out or six months after the Department of Health and Human Services declares an end to the COVID-19 health emergency, whichever is sooner.
This is an important benefit for Arkansans and the state can only receive what qualified citizens will apply for through the website.
