News
The Lifeline Assistance Program’s wireless provider is pledging to honor their commitment to provide low-income families and individuals with discounted wireless service despite the looming end to the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP).
By: Brad Randall, Broadband Communities
Life Wireless, the Lifeline Assistance Program’s provider for Telrite Holdings, has vowed to continue accepting applications for their Lifeline Assistance Program after the ACP runs out of funding in May. Life Wireless offers free service, data usage, and smartphones to low-income Americans.
In an announcement Monday, Telrite Holdings VP of Sales and Business Development Brett Wantland shared why the Lifeline program will remain an important part of solving the digital divide puzzle.
“The ACP has been monumental in helping to bridge the digital divide as over 23 million households are enrolled today,” Wantland said. “We recognize the importance of connectivity in today’s society, and that’s why we are proud to continue to offer Lifeline service to our customers at no cost despite the shutdown of the ACP.”
Subscribers are eligible for Lifeline Assistance Program help if they receive government assistance or if their income level is at or exceeds 135 percent below the federal poverty level. The program, created in 1985, has a mission of trying “to help ensure universal phone access to all Americans.”
Upon approval to the program, eligible users can get “free unlimited talk and text with high-speed data” with a limit of one subscriber per household, according to a summary provided by Life Wireless.
Despite efforts to renew funding for the ACP, including a push to approve The Affordable Connectivity Program Extension Act of 2024, the Republican led U.S. House of Representatives has still failed to approve the measure.
As previously reported, according to a study commissioned by the FCC, 68 percent of ACP households had inconsistent connectivity or zero connectivity before the program began and over 75 percent of ACP households expect their service will be disrupted if the ACP ends.
The program currently provides a discount of up to $30 per month toward internet service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal lands.
