Many US carriers offer free mobile services to customers qualifying for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), that’s certainly nothing new. Verizon announced this week that in addition to free mobile services, it will also offer free internet to Fios customers eligible for the said program.
Qualified ACP customers are given free access to Verizon’s Fios’ 100% fiber optic internet, with speeds starting at 200Mbps for downloads and uploads. Furthermore, Verizon offers ACP discounts to all eligible customers on home and mobile postpaid and prepaid plans.
It’s important to mention that customers outside of Fios’ coverage will be able to apply the ACP discount to Verizon data plans including 5G Home, LTE Home, HIS/DSL, mobile prepaid and postpaid unlimited and metered plans.
In order to qualify for Affordable Connectivity Program discounts, customers must apply for eligibility and once approved complete the enrolment in ACP. New and existing Verizon customers can qualify if they meet any of the following criteria:
- Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) enrolled customer
- Lifeline enrolled customer
- Participants of other Federal assistance programs (Medicaid, SSI, etc.)
- HHI (Household Income) < 200% Federal Poverty Guideline
In related news, Verizon revealed that additional discounts may be available through Lifeline or other state grants. For example, customers eligible for Lifeline will receive an additional $9.25 off their bill. Plus, Verizon customers who live in Maryland and are enrolled in ACP will receive an additional subsidy discount of up to $15 per month from the Maryland Broadband Benefit program.
