FYI
https://www.thecity.nyc/2021/10/20/2...ternet-service
All families with children in New York City public schools are eligible for discounted internet and devices thanks to a temporary federal program, yet only a fraction of eligible households appear to have signed up for the six-month-old program.
Education department officials are trying to spread the word about the program, through which families can receive up to a $50 monthly discount on broadband service and equipment. Households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 on a laptop, tablet or desktop computer.
The discount is part of the federal government’s $3.2 billion temporary Emergency Broadband Benefit Program, which launched in May as part of the response to COVID’s public health crisis. The city’s education department promoted the program in a recent issue of its family-facing blog.
The program will last “when the fund runs out of money” or six months after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declares an end to the pandemic — whichever happens first, according to the program’s website.
About $2.5 billion — or 78% of the original pot of money — is left, according to federal data.
Nearly one-fifth of New York City students lack home and mobile broadband services, and 40% of students have only one or the other, according to the De Blasio administration’s internet master plan released last year.
Everybody’s Eligible!
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