Affordable Connectivity Program Terms & Conditions
The Affordable Connectivity Program is an FCC program (the “Program”) to help eligible households pay for Internet service. Program benefits are non-transferrable and limited to one benefit per household on qualifying Pioneer Broadband Internet service packages. For eligible households, the program provides a monthly discount of up to $30 (up to $75 for households on Tribal Lands) towards the amount charged for residential broadband Internet service, after any other discounts are applied. Discounts are applied via a monthly credit during a consumer’s normal billing cycle.
ELIGIBILITY: Federal regulation restricts the ACP benefit to 1 per household. A household is eligible for the Program if they meet at least one (1) of the following:
· Based on Household Income (200% or less than the Federal Poverty Guidelines)
· If you or your child or dependent participate in certain government assistance programs such as SNAP, Medicaid, WIC, or other programs
· If you or anyone in your household already receives a Lifeline benefit
· Eligible Federal or Tribal assistance programs include:
o Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as Food Stamps
o Medicaid
o Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
o Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
o Federal Public Housing Assistance (FPHA) (including Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program (Section 8 Vouchers), Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA)/202/811, Public Housing, and Affordable Housing Programs for American Indians, Alaska Natives or Native Hawaiians)
o Veterans Pension and Survivors Benefit
o Free and Reduced-Price School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program, including at U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Community Eligibility Provision schools
o Received a Federal Pell Grant in the current award year
o Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance
o Head Start (only households meeting the income qualifying standard)
o Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (Tribal TANF)
o Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations
For a comprehensive list of qualification options, please the USAC Affordable Connectivity Program page.
Eligible households may receive the Program benefit with any participating provider and may transfer their benefit to Pioneer Broadband from another provider at any time. Eligibility determinations are at the sole discretion of the FCC and the Universal Service Administrative Co. (“USAC”) who oversees administration of the benefit program.
If a consumer believes they may qualify and wants to take advantage of the ACP program, they need to apply through the USAC National Verifier process, directly with USAC or with the assistance of a provider and provide that eligibility determination to Pioneer Broadband to complete their enrollment and receive the ACP benefit. Once eligibility information has been provided, and enrollment is completed, a discount will be applied to the cost of the consumers qualifying broadband Internet subscription service on a monthly basis until they no longer qualify, request deactivation of the program benefit, or transfer the benefit to another service provider.
EMERGENCY BROADBAND BENEFIT ("EBB") PROGRAM: EBB was a temporary benefit program designed to help consumers with the cost of access to broadband Internet services established by the federal government during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Affordable Connectivity Program ("ACP"), which launched on 12/31/21, is a long-term program replacing EBB.
EBB offered up to $50 per month (up to $75 for those residing on Tribal Lands) towards the cost of a qualifying broadband Internet service through a provider eligible to participate in the program. ACP offers up to $30 per month (up to $75 for those residing on Tribal Lands) towards the cost of a qualifying broadband Internet service.
The ACP program offers discounts on connected devices sold through a provider eligible to participate in the program.
Households that were approved to participate in the EBB program may need to re-certify through USAC to continue receiving the benefit.
AFFORDABLE CONNECTIVITY PROGRAM: Congress created the Affordable Connectivity Program, a long-term, $14 billion program, replacing the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program. This investment in broadband affordability helps ensure affordable internet connections for work, school, health care, and more for a long time. The benefit provides a discount of up to $30 per month toward internet service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal lands. The Affordable Connectivity Program is limited to one monthly service discount and one device discount per household.
APPLY FOR BENEFIT: Consumers can apply for the benefit directly online by visiting affordableconnectivity.gov and clicking the Apply Now.
Eligibility determinations are at the sole discretion of USAC. Pioneer Broadband representatives cannot contact USAC on behalf of a consumer to process enrollment or to inquire about the status of an eligibility decision. ACP support can be contacted by E-mailing acpsupport@usac.org or by calling (877) 384-2575.
Upon approval, contact Pioneer Broadband at 1-866-335-1254 to complete the enrollment process with Pioneer Broadband. The information provided to Pioneer Broadband representatives must match exactly the information on file with USAC for the initial eligibility application. Any variation on this information may delay enrollment with Pioneer Broadband.
COST: Once a consumer has been enrolled with Pioneer Broadband, the discount will be applied in the next billing cycle in the form of a credit towards the cost of their broadband Internet service. This will continue until a subscriber no longer qualifies, request de-enrollment, transfers their benefit to another service provider, or in the event the ACP program is terminated by USAC.
A consumer may qualify for both Lifeline and ACP and receive both discounts if they meet all eligibility criteria. A consumer may also receive the ACP benefit in addition to other Pioneer Broadband discounts (not to exceed the total value of the cost of service).
CONTACT: Pioneer Broadband is available to assist by calling 1-866-335-1254. USAC also provides assistance by calling (877) 384-2575, or E-mail via acpsupport@usac.org.