Federal program to lower internet costs for some Nevadans

WASHINGTON – A new federal program launched Monday will provide reduced cost internet services for households with little or no access to reliable broadband. The White House unveiled the program, which builds upon the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) and operates in partnership with 20 internet service providers.

Households in urban, suburban and rural areas who qualify for ACP will receive up to a $30 per month benefit applied to the cost of their internet service. ACP-eligible households on Tribal lands can receive up to $75 per month.

Service providers included in the program cover about 80% of the nation’s population and include giants such as AT&T, Comcast and Spectrum, along with smaller groups such as Frontier and Vermont Telephone Company.

It’s estimated there are more than 450,000 households in Nevada that are unserved or underserved when it comes to broadband access.

The White House has been pouring recovery funds into improving the nation’s broadband infrastructure and better connecting households to reliable internet.

In Nevada, some of the $6.7 billion in American Rescue Plan Act dollars have been put toward internet access, including $200 million approved by the Interim Finance Committee to help build fiber internet into every community in the state.

More information about the ACP and eligibility is online at http://www.getinternet.gov/.

Source: Nevada Governor’s Office