Affordable Connectivity Program

 

The Affordable Connectivity Program provides eligible households with $30 per month toward high-speed home internet service, making some plans FREE! The ACP benefit can be applied to a new or existing internet plan. Additionally, eligible households will receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from eligible providers. 

 

Step 1: Determine If Your Household Is Eligible
Households are eligible for the ACP benefit when a student within that household qualifies for free or reduced-price meals under the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) or the School Breakfast Program (SBP).

Hart County Schools Can Help!
If your student participates in one of these programs, contact Courtney Hart, Director of Nutrition, at 706-376-5141, or email chart@hart.k12.ga.us to obtain an ACP Eligibility Letter.

What If Your Student Doesn’t Participate in a Free or Reduced-price Meal Program?
There are a number of ways that households qualify for the ACP benefit, including a household income below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines or current participation in another government assistance program such as SNAP, Medicaid, or Federal Public Housing Assistance.

Visit GetACP.org [link https://www.getacp.org] to see if your household qualifies, learn what documents you will need to apply, and connect to home internet plans that are free with the ACP. It takes about 5 minutes and requires you to answer a few simple questions. In addition to providing proof of eligibility during the application process, applicants must also provide a form of identification. If applying through a dependent, you will need to provide identification for them as well. You can choose to provide your student’s Social Security Number, Tribal ID number, birth certificate, passport, or other government-issued identification to meet this requirement.

Step 2: Complete Your Application
There are multiple ways to apply for the Affordable Connectivity Program benefit, including:
● Submitting an application online at AffordableConnectivity.gov
● Mailing-in a paper application
● Contacting a participating internet service provider

Step 3: Receive Confirmation
Once your application has been approved, you are ready to contact your preferred internet service provider. Have your Application ID number ready, as you will need to give this information to the representative.

● How many people will use the internet?
When more people share the same connection, a faster plan is needed to accommodate their devices.
● How will you be using the internet?
Downloading is when the internet shares information with your computer. You’ll need higher download speeds when watching Netflix and online gaming, than if you only surf the web, use social media, and do online shopping.
● More day-to-day activities also require the fastest upload speeds (when our computers share information with the internet) e.g. Zoom and video/audio calls, online gaming and sharing photos on social media.