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PSA: The Emergency Broadband Benefit Program
May 2, 2021 at
05:18 AM
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Just read a article about the EBB program, will be going to effect on May 12th.
https://www.fcc.gov/broadbandbenefi
When Can I Sign Up for the Benefit?
As of May 12, 2021, eligible households will be able to enroll in the program to receive a monthly discount off the cost of broadband service from an approved provider. Eligible households can enroll through an approved provider or by visitinghttps://getemergencybro
What is the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program?
The Emergency Broadband Benefit Program is aFederal Communications Commission (FCC) programthat provides a temporary discount on monthly broadband bills for qualifying low-income households. If your household iseligible, you can receive:
Up to a $50/month discount on your broadband service and associated equipment rentals
Up to a $75/month discount if your household is on qualifying Tribal lands
A one-time discount of up to $100 for a laptop, tablet, or desktop computer (with a co-payment of more than $10 but less than $50)
Only one monthly service discount and one device discount is allowed per household.
The FCC expects enrollment for the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program to open later this month.It will end when the fund runs out of money, or six months after the Department of Health and Human Services declares an end to the COVID-19 health emergency, whichever is sooner.
https://getemergencybro
https://www.fcc.gov/broadbandbenefi
When Can I Sign Up for the Benefit?
As of May 12, 2021, eligible households will be able to enroll in the program to receive a monthly discount off the cost of broadband service from an approved provider. Eligible households can enroll through an approved provider or by visitinghttps://getemergencybro
What is the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program?
The Emergency Broadband Benefit Program is aFederal Communications Commission (FCC) programthat provides a temporary discount on monthly broadband bills for qualifying low-income households. If your household iseligible, you can receive:
Up to a $50/month discount on your broadband service and associated equipment rentals
Up to a $75/month discount if your household is on qualifying Tribal lands
A one-time discount of up to $100 for a laptop, tablet, or desktop computer (with a co-payment of more than $10 but less than $50)
Only one monthly service discount and one device discount is allowed per household.
The FCC expects enrollment for the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program to open later this month.It will end when the fund runs out of money, or six months after the Department of Health and Human Services declares an end to the COVID-19 health emergency, whichever is sooner.
https://getemergencybro
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Edit: I see the discount now. "Your credit of $29.99 will be applied to next month's bill."
Currently my BILL AMOUNT is $49.99, & I pay $19.99 after 3 discounts are applied:
Fios Internet Lifeline -9.25
Auto-Pay and Paper Free Discount -10.00
Fios Internet Discount -10.75
Verizon was unable to clarify if the Fios Internet discount of $10.75 will be reapplied back to my account once EBB funding expires. So, not sure if I should avail of the EBB???
TERMS say - At the end of the program you will be subject to our undiscounted rates and terms and conditions if you continue to receive Verizon's service
On a conference call with the EBB rep and the dedicated frontier rep for the program, they were able to get the approval applied.
The EBB rep stated that should frontier attempt any more shenanigans that we should contact the CPUC (California public utilities commission) and file a complaint. We've had to do that so far 3 times due to lies and billing issues from Frontier. Do not let them bully you into giving up on this discount. If you qualify, be ready to fight them. And the EBB rep confirmed that any available discount will apply from the date of approval.
Good luck.
https://getemergencybro
I was going through the xfinity form, but it said you need to create an EBB account first.
I see the option for selecting discounted meals on the mail in form, but not online. Do you have to file via mail if this is the reason for acceptance?
Edit: I forgot that i picked the top section instead of the EBB section. That fixed it for me.
https://arstechnica.com/tech-poli...ier-plans/
https://arstechnica.com/tech-poli...ier-plans/
But it is bad publicity like customer outcry and the Arstechnica article that has forced them to backtrack.
https://www.verizon.com/about/new...bb-program
Their May 19th PR news update avoids directly mentioning why some customers don't want to "upgrade" to a MIx & Match plan: higher cost. But at least they said that customers on the older plans can now get the EBB discount too.
"However, we heard from some customers that they prefer to stay on the legacy plans they have. Moving forward, we will offer customers on legacy Fios plans (no longer in market today) the ability to enroll in EBB.
We are not asking customers to upgrade their plan in order to take advantage of the EBB benefits. Our goal is to help eligible customers find the plan that best meets their needs."
All existing Verizon customers eligible for EBB should continue calling them (unfortunately Verizon provides no automated way to setup EBB benefits after USAC approval) and demand that the rightful EBB discount be applied to their account.
Verizon must honor their promises.
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Safelink keeps emailing/texting/calling me, saying that I can get Unlimited Data plus Hotspot data added to my monthly plan for signing up for EBB through them. (probably the best/safest option)
I also have Home Internet/TV/Landline (Triple play bundle) through Verizon Fios. However I am concerned about using my EBB Benefit with them because it sounds like i could lose my current discounts once the EBB ends.
So I am trying to decide if there is a third choice. Sign up for a second Cell Service with another participating company? (not sure why i would need that).
I am actually most interested in the $100 for buying a new internet connected device (Laptop/Tablet/Cell phone) but I don't see any companies offering that part of the EBB offer. Maybe I should wait to see if any of the participating companies start offering that first because I could use a device upgrade.
But it is bad publicity like customer outcry and the Arstechnica article that has forced them to backtrack.
https://www.verizon.com/about/new...bb-program
Their May 19th PR news update avoids directly mentioning why some customers don't want to "upgrade" to a MIx & Match plan: higher cost. But at least they said that customers on the older plans can now get the EBB discount too.
"However, we heard from some customers that they prefer to stay on the legacy plans they have. Moving forward, we will offer customers on legacy Fios plans (no longer in market today) the ability to enroll in EBB.
We are not asking customers to upgrade their plan in order to take advantage of the EBB benefits. Our goal is to help eligible customers find the plan that best meets their needs."
All existing Verizon customers eligible for EBB should continue calling them (unfortunately Verizon provides no automated way to setup EBB benefits after USAC approval) and demand that the rightful EBB discount be applied to their account.
Verizon must honor their promises.
With Verizon Wireless though, is a different story for the moment. If you don't have a mix & match plan of some sort, EBB won't apply to it. Hopefully that changes soon for those out there with that specific need. Ridiculous... they should just honor anyone with EBB qualification regardless of plan type.
With Verizon Wireless though, is a different story for the moment. If you don't have a mix & match plan of some sort, EBB won't apply to it. Hopefully that changes soon for those out there with that specific need. Ridiculous... they should just honor anyone with EBB qualification regardless of plan type.
A customer will get the EBB discount if they are persistent enough.
Verizon makes it difficult by
1) not making an online system to claim the benefit
2) not educating first level phone CS reps, beforehand, about where to send customers with EBB claims
3) assigning a small number of CS reps to man the EBB claim queue, resulting in very long wait times to speak to someone
Make no mistake, Verizon is VERY GOOD at PR, very good at saving face.
But behind the scenes they are not above pulling dirty tricks on their customers. Shame on them.
These Telecoms and ISPs are the largest in the world, there is no excuse why they can not do a better job.
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On a conference call with the EBB rep and the dedicated frontier rep for the program, they were able to get the approval applied.
The EBB rep stated that should frontier attempt any more shenanigans that we should contact the CPUC (California public utilities commission) and file a complaint. We've had to do that so far 3 times due to lies and billing issues from Frontier. Do not let them bully you into giving up on this discount. If you qualify, be ready to fight them. And the EBB rep confirmed that any available discount will apply from the date of approval.
Good luck.
So I called them again, saying let's do a 3-way call with EBB to clarify this, b/c I believe the speed doesn't matter, I should qualify for the discount. They kept repeating over and over that their upper mgt and marketing dept told them only the 50/50 plan qualifies, and they refuse to call up the EBB. They can't change the "rules". In fact, they're not even the ones who handle this, its their "offline" dept, who do not speak to customers and there's no number to reach them. WTF??
I guess I gotta keep calling back until I can find a manager who will do the 3 way call with EBB? Feel like this is not worth the hassle. It's sooooo frustrating! They definitely try to make it as hard as possible for you to get the discount.
You don't happen to have the name of the agent/manager who helped apply the discount for you, do you?