If you’re receiving government assistance, you probably qualify for free or low-cost internet service from the nation’s top internet providers.
The federal government’s new Affordable Connectivity Program – ACP – gives eligible households $30 per month to pay their internet bills. If you get an internet plan that is $30 a month or less – and you can find these plans at AT&T, Cox and other providers – then your monthly bill is zero. So, your internet is free.
ACP-eligible households can also get a one-time grant of up to $100 to buy a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet.
ACP Requirements
You’re eligible for ACP if you (or someone in your household) meet one of the following requirements:
Steps to Get Free Internet
Your first step to get free or cheap internet service is to apply for the ACP at:
Affordable Connectivity Program – Verify Eligibility
If you qualify you will receive a National Verifier ID that shows you are eligible. You can then take your ACP approval ID to most large internet providers to get $30 free or reduced price internet.
Your next step is to find a cheap internet plan that you qualify for. AT&T, Spectrum and other major providers have internet plans for $30 a month. These plans are described below.
Discounted Internet Plans
Below is a listing of the internet providers offering internet service to low income households for $30 a month or less. So, with your $30 ACP discount, your bill is zero.
The rules to qualify for these plans are usually the same as ACP requirements.
All the low-cost plans below provide internet service at download speeds up to 100 Mbps. Each plan also has no installation cost and requires no long term contract. These plans also provides a free modem / router like the one shown below. This gives you wired connections plus wifi connectivity. In the picture below, the line on the right is the line from your internet provider, the other lines out would go to wired connections in your house, if you have any. You can tell that this device has wifi as well because of the antenna sticking up at the right.
Below are the internet deals from ATT, Spectrum and other major providers.
AT&T Low Cost Internet Plan
AT&T’s discounted internet plan is called Access from AT&T. There is no installation fee, no deposit and no contract. The plan provides download speeds of up to 100 Mbps. Included in the service are an in-home Wi-Fi modem/router and access to wifi at AT&T’s nationwide hotspots. Plans start at $10 a month so with your $30 / month ACP benefit, your bill is zero.
For more information or to start your application visit:
Free Internet Access from AT&T or call 1-866-986-0963
ATT says that if you qualify for ACP, you will automatically qualify for the free Access plan.
AT&T internet is available in select regions in these states: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin. To find out if your area is covered visit: ATT Coverage Map
Cox Free Internet Service
Cox’s discounted internet plan is called ConnectAssist. There is no installation fee, no deposit and no contract. The plan provides download speeds of up to 100 Mbps. Included in the service are an in-home Wi-Fi modem/router and access to wifi at AT&T’s nationwide hotspots. Plans start at $29.99 a month so with your $30 / month ACP benefit, your bill is zero.
To qualify for ConnectAssist you’ll need to have at least one government assistance program such as SNAP or Medicaid. If you do not qualify you can get other plans starting at $50 a month.
For more information or to start your application visit:
Cox Communications offers internet service across 18 states with the greatest coverage in Arizona, California, and Virginia. Cable internet from Cox Communications is available to an estimated 21.2 million people, making it the 3rd largest residential cable provider in the U.S. by coverage area. To find out if your area is covered visit: Cox Coverage Map
Frontier Low-Cost Internet Service
Frontier Communications’ discounted internet plan is called Frontier Essentials. There is no installation fee, no deposit and no contract. The plan provides download speeds of up to 100 Mbps. Included in the service are an in-home Wi-Fi modem/router and access to wifi at Frontier’s nationwide hotspots. Plans start at $29.99 a month so with your $30 / month ACP benefit, your bill is zero.
For more information or to start your application visit:
Most states offer home internet service for about $10 a month.
Mediacom Low-Cost Internet Service
Mediacom Cable’s discounted internet plan is called Mediacom Connect2Compete. There is no installation fee, no deposit and no contract. The plan provides download speeds of up to 100 Mbps. Included in the service are an in-home Wi-Fi modem/router and access to wifi at Mediacom’s nationwide hotspots. Plans start at $30 a month so with your $30 / month ACP benefit, your bill is zero.
To apply visit:
Mediacom’s Connect2Compete or call 1-855-330-6918.
Mediacom Cable offers coverage in Alabama, Arizona, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin. To find out if your area is covered visit: Mediacom Coverage Map
Spectrum Low-Cost Internet Service
Spectrum provides free or low-cost internet to households that qualify for ACP. There is no installation fee, no deposit and no contract. The plan provides download speeds of up to 100 Mbps. Included in the service are an in-home Wi-Fi modem/router and access to wifi at Spectrum’s nationwide hotspots. Plans start at $30 a month so with your $29.99 / month ACP benefit, your bill is zero.
You can also apply your $30 credit to higher-speed internet plans. Spectrum Internet Ultra is $69.99 a month but the net cost to ACP beneficiaries is $39.99 a month.
For more information or to start your application visit:
Spectrum offers coverage in 44 states. To find out if your area is covered visit: Spectrum Coverage Map
Verizon Low-Cost Internet Service
Verizon’s discounted internet plan is called Verizon Forward. There is no installation fee, no deposit and no contract. The plan provides download speeds of up to 100 Mbps. Included in the service are an in-home Wi-Fi modem/router and access to wifi at Verizon’s nationwide hotspots. Plans start at $30 a month so with your $30 / month ACP benefit, your bill is zero.
To apply visit:
Xfinity Low-Cost Internet Service
Xfinity’s discounted internet plan is called Verizon Internet Essentials. There is no installation fee, no deposit and no contract. The plan provides download speeds of up to 100 Mbps. Included in the service are an in-home Wi-Fi modem/router and access to wifi at Xfinity’s nationwide hotspots. Plans start at $9.95 a month so with your $30 / month ACP benefit, your bill is zero.
For more information or to start your application visit:
Xfinity offers coverage in 44 states. To find out if your area is covered visit: Xfinity Coverage
Additional Government Assistance
In addition to these low-cost internet programs, you may be eligible for a $9.25 monthly check from the federal government to help with your internet or phone bills. This program, called Lifeline, is managed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). You can qualify
For more information or to apply visit: Lifeline Support.
What Internet Speed Do You Need?
How much speed do you need? If you’re just browsing the internet (Facebook, email, weather etc) then low speeds of 1 Mbps are sufficient. If you want to stream videos from Netlix, Amazon or a similar service, you’ll need at least 5 Mbps. If you want the highest quality videos and have a 4k HDTV, you’ll need more. Netflix recommends 5 Mbps for regular HD streaming and 25 Mbps to stream 4K videos. Amazon has similar recommendations.
Can You Find Free Internet Elsewhere?
If you’re lucky you may already have free wifi available right in your home or close by. Free wifi is available in some apartment complexes, near libraries and other government buildings, in and around coffee shops like Starbucks and Panera, and in some downtown areas. Most phone providers like ATT and Xfinity also provide free wifi hotspots in some areas, but you’ll need to have an account to sign in.
To find out if you have free wifi available from your home, open the wifi settings on your phone or PC and look at the available networks. Those that have a lock symbol will require a password so you can ignore those. Any that have an unrecognizable name should also be ignored. Your neighbors’ wifi may also show up and you should ignore those. Look for city names, libraries, or maybe your phone company and try to connect.
