A growing number of New Yorkers will be able to beat the digital divide with cheap internet service.

Discounted High-Speed Internet For Many New York State Residents

President Biden wants to close the digital divide. On Monday, Biden announced that 20 top Internet providers have agreed to either cut prices or increase speeds to qualified households.

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"High-speed internet is not a luxury any longer, it is a necessity," Biden said on Monday during an event from the Rose Garden. "And that’s why the bipartisan infrastructure law included $65 billion to make sure we expand access to broadband internet in every region of the country – urban, suburban, rural, everywhere."

Biden and Vice President Harris unveiled plans to broaden discounted high-speed Internet service to many Americans on Monday During an event in the Rose Garden.

"Every person in our nation, no matter how much they earn, should be able to afford high-speed internet and a high-speed internet plan," Harris said. "So that is why we are all here together today."

Photo from March 2020 campaign rally via Scott Olson, Getty Images
Photo from March 2020 campaign rally via Scott Olson, Getty Images
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40 Percent of the Nation To Recieve Discounted Internet

The bipartisan Infrastructure Law, helped lawmakers create the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which officials believe will allow tens of millions of American households to reduce their internet service costs by up to $30 a month, or $75 amonth on Tribal lands.

"To ensure the most efficient use of those public dollars and to deliver maximum cost savings to families, the Biden-Harris Administration has secured commitments from 20 leading internet providers—covering more than 80% of the U.S. population across urban, suburban, and rural areas—to either increase speeds or cut prices, making sure they all offer ACP-eligible households high-speed, high-quality internet plans for no more than $30/month," the White House said in a statement.

Households qualify for the program based on their total household income or through  federal programs

"Agencies that manage these programs will be coordinating an effort to reach out to households that qualify for ACP through programs they help administer. For example, the Social Security Administration will email all 1.6 million Supplemental Security Income recipients who have a 'My Social Security' account, letting them know that they are eligible for the Affordable Connectivity Program," the White House stated.

Do You Qualify in New York?

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Experts believe 48 million households, about 40 percent of households in the nation qualify. Either because their income is at or below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level, or because a member of the household meets one of the other criteria below:

  • Participates in one of the following programs:
  • Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as Food Stamps
  • Medicaid
  • Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
  • Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
  • Federal Public Housing Assistance (FPHA)
  • Veterans Pension and Survivors Benefit
  • Free and Reduced-Price School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program
  • Federal Pell Grant (received in the current award year)
  • Lifeline
  • Certain Tribal assistance programs

You can also check out GetInternet.gov to see if you qualify.

New York Companies Committed To Program

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Each of the following companies committed to offering all eligible families at least one high-speed plan for $30/month or less, with no additional fees and no data caps.

  • Allo Communications
  • AltaFiber (and Hawaiian Telecom)
  • Altice USA (Optimum and Suddenlink)
  • Astound
  • AT&T
  • Breezeline
  • Comcast
  • Comporium
  • Frontier
  • IdeaTek
  • Cox Communications
  • Jackson Energy Authority
  • Mediacom
  • MLGC
  • Spectrum (Charter Communications)
  • Starry
  • Verizon (Fios only)
  • Vermont Telephone Company
  • Vexus Fiber
    Wow! Internet, Cable, and TV

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