Affordable Connectivity Plan
Important Update Regarding ACP
At this point in time, Congress has not provided funding for the ACP program, and current funds are set to be exhausted in April of 2024. Unless Congress chooses to fund ACP, current ACP enrolled households will continue to receive a discount until the program ends. Please read the Preparing For the ACP Wind-down page for more details. The last day to sign up for ACP will be February 7th, unless funding is extended. Please reach out to SandyNet staff for questions or clarifications.
Background
SandyNet participates in the FCC's Affordable Connectivity Plan (ACP) to help provide a $30 discount towards qualifying households for broadband service. ACP is a program designed to help households afford broadband service and enable individuals to work-from-home, learn-from-home, and perform tele-health services.
Eligibility
ACP records are tied to the provider and the household, meaning that ACP is available only once to a household, under a single provider. The following criteria help a household determine eligibility:
- Income
- You are eligible for the ACP if your income is 200% or less than the Federal Poverty Guidelines. The guideline is based on your household size and state (See the FCC's table)
- Federal Assistance Programs
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Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as Food Stamps
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Medicaid
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Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
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Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
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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)
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Veterans Pension and Survivors Benefit
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Free and Reduced-Price School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program, including at U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Community Eligibility Provision schools
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Received a Federal Pell Grant in the current award year
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- Household Options
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Any member of your household can make your household eligible if they participate in one of the programs above. For example, if your child or dependent participates in the Free and Reduced-Price School Lunch Program or is enrolled in a USDA Community Eligibility Provision school, your household qualifies for the ACP benefit
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How to Enroll
If you qualify for any of the programs listed above, you can enroll and take advantage of the ACP benefits. The enrollment process requires an individual within the household to register with the FCC and then get in contact with the service provider for completion.
- Visit acpbenefit.org and select Apply Now
- After completion, you will receive an Application ID. This ID is important to the internet service provider (ISP), since it will link your ACP account with the ISP account to complete the enrollment process
- Reach out to SandyNet via phone or support email and provide the Application ID and your Date of Birth, (DOB)
- SandyNet will match your FCC account with your customer record to complete the enrollment process
- The billing system will be updated, and reflected upon your next bill
Questions or Issues
The ACP process has a lot of moving parts, and requires each participating household to engage with the federal government as well as their local ISP. Sometimes information can become malformed or be updated during the process, delaying the enrollment. If there are specific questions during the enrollment process, the SandyNet team is available to help resolve any issue that may arise. However, there are some responsibilities that the household must perform and SandyNet cannot complete for you. Households must enroll with the FCC by visiting acpbenefit.org and then provide provide SandyNet with the relevant information listed above. SandyNet will be unable to enroll a household that has not already completed this task. SandyNet may on occasion require the last four of the individual's Social Security Number (SSN) as an alternate means of enrollment. Please reach out to the SandyNet Support Team for any questions or concerns.
