Larsen: Affordable Connectivity Benefit Lowers Broadband Costs for Washington's Working Families

Press Release

Today, Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02) applauded the launch of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), an initiative made possible by the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) to provide most eligible households with $30 off their monthly internet bill. More than 1.4 million Washingtonians are eligible for the ACP.

For more information, including eligibility requirements, Second District residents are encouraged to visit GetInternet.gov.

"Broadband internet is a critical tool for Washington's working families to access better educational opportunities, civic tools, health resources and job information," said Larsen, a senior member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. "Thanks to the bipartisan infrastructure law, the ACP helps more families afford broadband access and will further shrink the digital divide."

Under the ACP, eligible families can receive a benefit of up to $30 per month applied to the cost of their internet service. ACP-eligible households on Tribal lands are eligible for a benefit of up to $75 per month.

Households qualify for the ACP either because their income is at or below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level, or because a member of the household meets one of the following criteria:

Participates in one of the following programs:

* Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as Food Stamps
* Medicaid
* Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
* Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
* Federal Public Housing Assistance (FPHA)
* Veterans Pension and Survivors Benefit
* Free and Reduced-Price School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program, including at U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Community Eligibility Provision schools
* Federal Pell Grant (received in the current award year)
* Lifeline
* Certain Tribal assistance programs, including Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance, Head Start (only households meeting the income qualifying standard), Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (Tribal TANF), and Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations

Meets the eligibility criteria for a participating broadband provider's existing low-income internet program.

Second District residents can find out if they qualify for the ACP at GetInternet.gov.

Larsen is focused on lowering everyday costs for Washington's working families and closing the digital divide. 8.8 percent of Washington households do not have an internet subscription. The IIJA invested at least $100 million to help provide broadband coverage across the state, including to provide access to the at least 241,000 Washingtonians who currently lack it.

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