Cut costs, not your connection: How to get home internet for less

Photo: Andrea Piacquadio/PEXELS

StatePoint - If you’re struggling with access to reliable and affordable wireless home internet, you’re not alone. In fact, more than 20% of Americans living in rural areas and nearly 30% of Americans living in Tribal lands lack internet access, compared to only 1.5% of those living in urban areas. To make matters worse, the average American shells out about $75 each month for internet service, with over a third saying that cost is one of the biggest hurdles in getting their hands on home internet.

As internet usage increases, the United States faces even more of a nationwide digital divide, but federal government agencies are stepping in to help bridge the gap. In December 2021, the FCC launched a $14 billion initiative to provide people across the United States with affordable internet access through the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). Eligible participants can receive up to a $30 discount per month on fixed or wireless internet access, or up to $75 per month on Tribal lands.

So far, the program has provided discounted internet service to more than 20 million households across the country. Here’s how it works:

• Find out if you qualify through your household income and participation in government assisted programs by visiting fcc.gov/acp.

• If you qualify, apply for discounted service by visiting getinternet.gov/apply. If you’re unable to apply online, print the application or call (877) 384-2575 to have one mailed to your home address.

• Once approved, select an internet provider. Metro by T-Mobile is one provider helping bring awareness to the program. In fact, a recent study found that half of eligible households are unaware of the program’s existence or didn’t know anything about it. Metro is out to change that, offering 5G home internet for just $20 a month with Autopay for qualifying ACP households. It’s easy to sign up with no contracts, credit checks or hidden fees. New customers can visit their nearest Metro store to purchase the internet gateway and a Metro phone line to add home internet to their account. Visit metrobyt-mobile.com/acp to learn more about how Metro is helping to bridge the digital divide.

If you’re not eligible for ACP, there are other ways to save a few dollars when shopping around for home internet.

• Take Advantage of Free Trials: Some internet providers offer free trials or money-back guarantees to test out their internet in your home for a certain timeframe.

• Bundle Services: Check what other services you can bundle to save, like your phone plan, cable television and more.

• Autopay Discounts: Wireless companies often offer discounts for those accounts that sign up for autopay billing.

• Internet Connection Type: The type of internet you purchase matters. Fiber and traditional broadband connected through a cable in the wall tends to be more expensive than 5G wireless internet services that use a wireless connection.

Staying plugged into our increasingly digital world on your terms and budget is totally achievable! Get savvy with your shopping and cash in on initiatives and perks to keep your wallet happy while staying connected.

Affordable Connectivity Program makes internet affordable for low-income households

student working on laptop

The Federal Communication Commission's Affordable Connectivity Program helps millions of households get and save on internet service
Family Features - High-speed internet service is no longer a luxury, but a necessity for everyone, everywhere.

From doing homework to using telehealth, working remotely, connecting with family and friends and more, internet is needed for everyday life, but the cost can make it hard for many to afford.

To help ensure all Americans can share in and contribute to today's internet-based society and economy, Congress created the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). Launched Dec. 31, 2021, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) oversees the program to help eligible households gain access to affordable high-speed internet service.

"For many households, the cost of groceries, gas and rent can eat up the monthly budget, putting internet access out of reach," FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said. "The ACP is the nation's largest-ever broadband affordability effort, supporting internet connections in millions of households. That's progress, but we want to do more to get out the word about this powerful program and reach families that may not know about this benefit."

How the Program Works
The ACP provides eligible households a savings of $30 per month toward internet service or $75 per month for eligible households living on qualifying Tribal lands. Taking part in the ACP could make internet service free if the savings covers the entire price of the plan. Eligible participants will not receive additional money back if their bill is less than the discount.

Eligible households can also receive a one-time savings of up to $100 to buy a laptop, desktop computer or tablet from participating providers. The program is limited to one monthly service discount and one device discount per household (a group of people who live together and share money even if they are not related).

As of June 2023, more than 18 million households have enrolled in the program and are connected to high-speed internet services they need.

How to Enroll
Step 1: Visit GetInternet.gov and submit your application or print out a mail-in application. Households with questions about eligibility or how to apply, or need to request a paper application, can call the ACP Support Center at (877) 384-2575.

Step 2: If approved, contact your local internet provider to select a plan and have the discount applied to your monthly bill. Use the Companies Near Me Tool to find participating internet service providers in your area by city and state or zip code. Consumers can select the type and level of internet service that best suits their needs.

The ACP protects consumers by allowing households to choose an internet service plan that meets their family's needs. Consumers also cannot be denied service because of their credit score or prior debt with a provider, and households enrolled in the ACP can switch providers and plans without incurring additional fees or penalties for early termination.

Eligibility Requirements

  • * Their household income is at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, about $60,000 a year for a family of four or $29,000 a year for an individual
  • * Anyone in the household, including children or dependents, participates in certain government assistance programs like SNAP, Medicaid, WIC, Federal Housing Assistance or other programs
  • * Anyone in the household already receives a Lifeline benefit
  • A household may also qualify for the ACP through a participating provider's existing low-income program.

    For a full list of eligibility requirements and more information, visit GetInternet.gov.



    Federal Affordable Connectivity Program offers low-cost internet to eligible citizens

    Photo:NAPSI
    NAPSI -- A fast, reliable Internet connection has become a critical part of our daily lives. From remote learning and working to networking and searching for jobs, Americans everywhere felt an online shift during COVID-19. 

    And, while the country gradually recovers from the pandemic, the collective need to stay connected remains stronger than ever. 

    Enter the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP).

    ACP extends and makes permanent the Internet subsidy for families in need that began under the Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) program. Falling under the $1.2T bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the ACP is part of a $65 billion broadband Internet initiative designed to bring affordable or even free Internet service to families who qualify.

    Eligible households can save up to $30 a month, or up to $75 if they reside on tribal lands.

    So, who qualifies? Here’s a glance at the different criteria from the FCC of which one or more is required:

  • Household is at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines.
  • Participates in certain assistance programs, such as SNAP, Medicaid, Federal Public Housing Assistance, SSI, WIC, or Lifeline.
  • Participates in tribal-specific programs, such as Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance, Tribal TANF, or Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations.
  • Participates in the National School Lunch or Breakfast Program, including through the USDA Community Eligibility Provision.
  • Received a Federal Pell Grant during the current award year.
  • Meets the eligibility criteria for a participating provider’s existing low-income Internet program.
  • Visit fcc.gov/acp for more details and call 844-844-WIFI (844-844-9434) to find a participating provider nearby.

    A casual stroll by the mysterious deep web


    Guest Commentary by Lakhijyoti Deka

    The "dark web" - sounds like mysterious! Doesn't it?

    Yes, I think your gut feeling says it is, but here I will make you aware how it works, what really happens on the dark web, and how you can check it out for yourself.

    Computer network
    Photo: Matthew Henry/Burst
    As you know, the internet comprises of servers, computers, and other devices connected together form networks inside of larger networks. It is divided into two parts, namely the clear web or surface web and the deep web.

    The surface web is that portion of the Internet most people are familiar with. The surface web pages are searchable in Google. While the deep web comprises the majority of the web, the surface web makes up a tiny portion of all the content on the web that accessible through a standard web browser.

    The Deep Web is the full body of the iceberg and the surface web is just like the tip of the iceberg. And finally the dark web is a very small and hard-to-access section of the Deep Web.

    The dark web is a piece of the internet that isn't indexed by conventional search engines. The dark web is decentralized network of websites make users as mysterious as possible by routing all their communications through multiple servers. It is used for keeping internet activity anonymous and personal, which may be helpful in both legal and illegal applications. Like, anyone can buy master card numbers; counterfeit money, online market place of various drugs, guns, stolen subscription credentials, hacked accounts, password and software that help anyone forced an entry into other people’s computers.


    Dark web browser:

    You may think that navigating the dark net is very easy. But it isn’t. To accessing the dark net it requires a browser known as Tor (“The Onion Routing” project) browser.


    If you have a legitimate need to access the dark web, make sure that you stay safe using it.

    Tor browser provides users access to reach the websites with the “.onion” registry operator. Browsers with the appropriate proxy can reach dark web sites, but others can’t. These web sites use a scrambled naming structure that creates URLs that are impossible to remember often.

    This browser was originally developed by the United States Naval research laboratory. An early version of Tor was created to cover spy communications. Sooner or later, the framework was repurposed and has since been made public just like the other browser we all know today. Anyone can download it free of cost. Tor browser uses a random path of encrypted servers referred to as "nodes" which enables users to connect to the deep web without worrying of their actions being tracked.


    Dark web versus deep web:

    The dark web and the deep web are also often mistakenly used interchangeably. At first glance, the dark web and the deep web seem similar as both are difficult to get to through the web search and require either clicking a direct link to the page or to typing the address into the browser you want to access.

    The deep web refers all the pages or content that you cannot find with a search engine. Deep web content requires sign-in credentials, such as online banking, medical records, pay sites, membership websites, and confidential corporate web pages etc. The dark web is one small portion of the deep web.

    The deep web is so large that it is impossible to discover exactly how many pages or websites are active at one point of time. While comparing the deep web with dark web, deep web consisting of mostly harmless and digitized data and the dark web is better known for illegal and sometimes disturbing content. But, not all the dark web is used for illicit purposes. The websites in the Dark Web are categorized by their use of encryption software that makes their users and their locations unsigned. 


    Enabling mechanisms of the dark web:

    Apart from the tor there are two key elements that serve practical purposes in enabling the dark web. Those two are the Hidden Wiki and Bitcoin, which provide a solution that enables the dark web to be accessible and usable.

    Though the hidden Wiki offers some assistance to content on the dark web, but it also includes some illegal websites.

    Hidden wiki site contains a listing of all the Dark internet sites that are presently operating, user feedback on those sites, and knowledge about what are often accessed through each site. Bitcoin is the crypto-currency which enables two parties to conduct a trusted transaction without knowing each other’s identity. The dark web has been a big factor in the expansion of bit coin and vice versa.


    Advantages of the dark web:

    The legality of dark web is based on how a user engages with it. Some might fall to the edge of legal lines for many reasons and some may act in ways that are illegal for the safety and security of others. Using of the dark web usually means you're attempting to interact in activity that you simply couldn't perform within the limelight.

    Not everything is illegitimate in the dark web. It has a legitimate side also. Privacy is much more concern for many people threatened by stalkers and other criminals. In this case dark web helps people to take care of privacy and freely express their views.

    On the dark web, users can seek out the benefits of the user anonymity, ability to take illegal actions for both users and providers and the virtually untraceable services and sites. In fact, a lot of people use it in countries where internet access is criminalized. As an anonymous communications channel the Tor network serves an important function in helping individuals communicate in environments which are hostile to free speech.

    One of the foremost advantages of the dark web is the difficulty of blocking it. Common forms of censorship do not work with encrypted overlay networks. The dark web is more challenging to surveillance by governments and Internet service providers. Many organizations including journalists, political dissidents, abuse and persecution victims, human Rights and other professionals support the use of and access to the dark web to communicate sensitive information.


    Disadvantages of the dark web:

    The dark web is the den to the criminal activities.

    The most important portion of dark web traffic is child abuse. The vast of traffic to hidden dark sites via Tor is for screening and distributing images of child abuse, illicit pornography and buying illegal drugs. Using the dark web one can make it easier to commit a number of of the worst crimes.

    The grouping of the dark web and crypto currencies supposedly makes it much easier to hire someone to commit a murder or some other illegal activities. While some uses the dark web for their privacy concern and for others it may be the violation to their privacy as the private photos, documents, financial records have been stolen from the dark web.

    The subject that is most commonly associated with the dark web is drug trafficking which is an integral and largest part of dark web marketplaces. Silk Road was one of the largest and most infamous dark web marketplaces till 2013. But the shutdown of Silk Road was not the end of dark web marketplaces. Replacements have sprung up to fill the vacuum selling anything that traders want to put online.

    By nature, the dark web is anonymous and incompetent of discriminating between criminals and common users. There are many dark web sites set up by scammers to avoid the rage of their victims. Many e-commerce sites even exist for a while and suddenly disappear with the money they are holding on behalf of customers.

    Enforcement officials must address this issue by campaigning that maintains the privacy of the typical user while unmasking the criminal. They are getting better at finding and prosecuting owners of sites that sell illegal goods and services. User can easily utilize the Tor in an attempt to pirate copyrighted content from the dark web and share illegal pornography, or engage in cyber terrorism.

    The two specific grey areas of dark Web activity are whistleblowing and hacktivism. Those are not categorized as entirely beneficial, but have some commendable characteristics.



    computer and coffee
    Photo: Sajjad Hussain M/Burst
    If you have a legitimate need to access the dark web, make sure that you stay safe using it. For safe access to the dark net you have to trust your intuition. You have to separate your online role from real life, employ active monitoring of identify and financial theft and you have to avoid downloads of dark web files. You should consider using a secondary non-admin local user account for all daily activities and always restrict access to your Tor-enabled device.

    Be sure to educate yourself on the risks of the dark web before you get mislaid in the dark underbelly. It is smart to be selective about the websites you access if you willing to venture to the dark web. Rather than finding the illegal users one has to find the illegal sites.

    The debate on the dark web is by no means over.

    There are many things in the dark web yet to be known. It is still in progress. As policy-makers move forward, they need to monitor vigilantly the evolution of the dark Web and make sure that enforcement agencies have the resources and legal support to police successfully the dark web. Dark web policy must be thoughtful to strike the balance between the requirements of privacy-minded users and the government’s responsibility to prevent criminality.

    It is always preferable to practice safe internet habits with necessary precautions to protect yourself from the illicit world.


    Lakhijyoti Deka is computer engineer in New Delhi, the capitol city of India. In her free time she likes recite poetry, sing and gathering information latest technology.


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