HUD Multifamily Office: Assisted Households are Eligible for Emergency Broadband Benefit

HUD’s Office of Multifamily Housing announced in an email newsletter on May 18 that Multifamily-assisted households are eligible to enroll in the Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB), a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) subsidy program to help families and households struggling to afford internet service during the COVID-19 pandemic. Multifamily housing includes private, Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance housing, Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly, and Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities.

EBB provides a discount of up to $50 per month toward broadband service for eligible households. Eligible households may also be able to receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers if they contribute more than $10 toward the purchase price.  

A household is eligible for EBB if a member of the household meets one of these criteria:

  • Income at or less than 135% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines or participates in certain assistance programs such as SNAP, Medicaid, or Lifeline
  • Approved to receive benefits under the free and reduced-price school lunch program or the school breakfast program, including through the USDA Community Eligibility Provision in the 2019-2020 or 2020-2021 school year
  • Received a Federal Pell Grant during the current award year
  • Experienced a substantial loss of income due to job loss or furlough since February 29, 2020, and the household had a total income in 2020 at or less than $99,000 for single filers and $198,000 for joint filers
  • Meets the eligibility criteria for a participating Internet Service Provider's existing low-income or COVID-19 program

People can find out if they qualify at: https://bit.ly/3u6nFB1

Encourage eligible households to enroll in one of three ways:

Resources to use to promote EBB:

The latest information is available at the EBB website: www.fcc.gov/broadbandbenefit

Questions should be sent to: [email protected]