धेरै राज्यहरूमा ब्रॉडब्यान्डमा मासिक छुट प्रदान गर्ने संघीय पहलको पूर्ण क्षमतामा प्रयोग भइरहेको छैन।
According to a recent report by Broadband Now, more than 37 million households qualify for the broadband benefit launched last year, but only 7.1 million households are enrolled. South Dakota and North Dakota ranked lowest in the nation with only 3 to 5% of eligible households taking advantage of the program. Nebraska, Iowa, and Minnesota ranked 40th, 33rd, and 38th, respectively.
यो किफायती कनेक्टिविटी कार्यक्रम, formerly the Emergency Broadband Benefit, is a valuable tool in making broadband more affordable to all households. The program provides a monthly discount of $30 to qualifying households, and $75 to households on qualifying Tribal lands. Additionally, eligible households can receive up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet, as long as they contribute $10 or more toward the purchase.
To qualify for the benefit, households must meet one of these criteria:
- २०१९-२०, २०२०-२१, वा २०२१-२२ शैक्षिक वर्षमा नि:शुल्क र कम मूल्यको विद्यालय खाजा/नास्ता कार्यक्रम अन्तर्गत लाभहरू प्राप्त गर्न स्वीकृत;
- संघीय गरिबी निर्देशिकाको २००% भन्दा कम आय;
- SNAP, WIC, Medicaid, SSI, संघीय सार्वजनिक आवास सहायता, भेटेरान पेन्सन र बाँचेकाहरूको लाभ, वा लाइफलाइन जस्ता सहायता कार्यक्रमहरूमा सहभागिता;
- हालको पुरस्कार वर्षमा संघीय पेल अनुदान प्राप्त गर्दै;
- ब्रॉडब्यान्ड प्रदायकको अवस्थित कम आय कार्यक्रमको लागि योग्यता आवश्यकताहरू पूरा गर्ने;
- BIA सामान्य सहायता, हेड स्टार्ट, आदिवासी TANF, र भारतीय आरक्षणमा खाद्य वितरण कार्यक्रम जस्ता आदिवासी सहायता कार्यक्रमहरूमा सहभागिता।
Broadband access is a critical component of everyday life, essential for school, work, business, and health care services. However an estimated 42 million Americans do not have broadband access, many of them in rural areas. The ACP provides an opportunity to decrease the digital divide by lowering the cost of services, making broadband more affordable and accessible.
