Husker Hub and the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid are helping promote the Emergency Broadband Benefit. Led by the Federal Communications Commission, the program helps to temporarily lower the cost of broadband service for eligible households during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This national program provides a discount of up to $50 per month toward broadband service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for qualifying households on qualifying Tribal lands. The benefit also provides up to a $100 per discount per household toward a one-time purchase of a computer, laptop or tablet if the household contributes more than $10 and less than $50 toward the price through a participating broadband provider.
A household is eligible if one member of the household meets at least one of the criteria below:
Has an income that is at or below 135% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines or participates in certain assistance programs, such as SNAP, Medicaid or the FCC’s Lifeline program.
Approved to receive benefits under the free and reduced-price school lunch program or the school breakfast program, including through the USDA Community Eligibility Provision, in the 2019-2020 or 2020-2021 school year.
Received a Federal Pell Grant during the current award year.
Experienced a substantial loss of income through job loss or furlough since Feb. 29, 2020 and the household had a total income in 2020 at or below $99,000 for single filers and $198,000 for joint filers.
Meets the eligibility criteria for a participating provider’s existing low-income or COVID-19 program.
“We believe in the power of every student, which is why we want to help get students and families access to resources as early as this summer,” said Justin Chase Brown, director of the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid and interim director of Husker Hub. “We hope to help eligible families in our communities get connected with this program in order to access the internet and technology to study and learn.”
Emergency Broadband Benefit enrollment opened May 12. Students can enroll through their participating broadband provider or directly with the Universal Service Administrative Company using an online or mail-in application. Additional information about the Emergency Broadband Benefit is available here, or by calling 833-511-0311 between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. any day of the week.
