The US government funds a program to help low-income individuals obtain life-changing technologies, such as a smartphone, free talk and text service, free data plans, and discounted broadband service for their homes. The program also offers a $100 credit towards a desktop, laptop, or tablet with a contribution towards the purchase by the recipient, typically between $10 to $50.
Many people qualify for the ACP program offered by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). You probably know someone who doesn’t yet have either a smartphone or Internet service at home who could qualify through this program. Here’s a quick list of who it helps:
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients,
- Medicaid recipients,
- Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) recipients,
- Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients,
- Federal Public Housing Assistance (FPHA) participants,
- Individuals receiving Veterans Pension and Survivors Benefits,
- College students who receive a Pell grant,
- Kindergarten through 12th graders who receive the school lunch program provided by the USDA.
The smartphone with full-service and the tablet or computer purchase assistance can help children with their schoolwork. College students can benefit from a device they can take to class, the library, etc. to work on research and papers on their own schedule, rather than that of writing labs or the school library.
For adults, owning a smartphone with a data plan and a computer with broadband service opens up new opportunities for continuing education, online education, and remote work. The subsidized cell phone Oklahoma state program offers unlimited talk, text, and data to tribal customers, while non-tribal customers can receive unlimited talk, text, and 10 GB of data per month.