ACP: ‘Wispering’ 350 Connections

There is a lot of “alphabet soup” associated with the internet business. Bits, bytes, gigs, and megs. ISPs, Wi-Fi, and MDUs, just to scratch the surface. Another acronym that many in our industry may not be as familiar with is the ACP: Affordable Connectivity Program. In its first form, the ACP was known as another acronym, the EBB, or Emergency Broadband Benefit program, created during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic to bring not only economic relief to families but also to help those displaced to their homes for work, education, and entertainment, stay connected. A wise man once said the pandemic brought 2030 internet usage to 2020, and our industry, the government, businesses, churches, and schools were caught off guard at first. Today, the new normal seems like all we have ever known. We may never have the true return to “normalcy,” but we are instead realizing the shortfalls and adapting quite nicely… Score one for the American spirit. So, what is the ACP? The Affordable Connectivity Program is an FCC program to help families and households struggling to afford internet service. This benefit helps to connect eligible households with a discount of up to $30 per month towards broadband service and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal lands. Folks can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 towards the purchase of a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers. As you may have guessed by now, Wisper is a “participating provider” and through the arduous work of Acquisition and Compliance Coordinator John S., Wisper has helped connect more than 350 households through the ACP program. But our work isn’t done yet…Sorry, John! Who Is Eligible for the Affordable Connectivity Program? A household is eligible if a member of the household meets one of the criteria below: Has an income that is at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines or participates in certain assistance programs, such as WIC, SNAP, Medicaid, SSI, Federal Public Housing Assistance, or Lifeline; Is 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. Received a Federal Pell Grant during the current award year, or Meets the eligibility criteria for a participating provider’s existing low-income program, subject to FCC approval. Simply put, if a household has children who are eligible for the free and reduced school lunch program or Medicaid, regardless of state, they qualify for the ACP program. According to the School Nutrition Association, pre-pandemic, nearly 100,000 schools/institutions serve school lunches to 29.6 million students daily, including 20.1 million free lunches and 1.7 million at a reduced price (student pays $0.40). Our research shows that Wisper covers areas where the free lunch program for elementary students is high as 72 percent. At Wisper, we believe that in today’s world reliable internet is just as important as a utility like water or electricity. With increased emphasis placed on the absolute necessity for the internet, families should not have to choose between paying for connectivity or other household bills. The ACP is not a handout. It is instead a helping hand for families or households to stay connected. There should be no shame or embarrassment in taking advantage of a government program designed to help us in our everyday lives. Wisper does not administer the program directly. Instead, households or individuals can be linked to the FCC website through wisperisp.com. After the application is complete and they receive an approval letter, they can contact Wisper to get connected to our services. According to statistics supplied to the Biden administration (whitehouse.gov) by the Universal Service Administrative Company, more than 15,065,044 households have connected through the ACP/EBB since its inception. Of those, only 217,693 are on tribal lands. In Wisper coverage states, Illinois is highest with 449,940 enrollees; Missouri has 247,650; Indiana, 283,957; Oklahoma, 227,163, Arkansas, 140,332; and Kansas has had 80,895 households enrolled. California, New York, Texas, and Florida lead the nation with more than 1 million program enrollees and North Dakota is at the bottom of the list with just over 9,500. Many U.S. territories are well below 2,000 participants in the ACP…. Read More

Wisper ISP Partners with Affordable Connectivity Program

Wisper ISP has partnered with the Affordable Connectivity Program to provide service discounts to eligible customers. The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is an FCC benefit program that helps ensure that households can afford the broadband they need for work, school, healthcare, and more. Customers previously enrolled in the Emergency Broadband Benefits Program (EBB) will now receive benefits on behalf of the ACP. Changes to the benefit amount for previous EBB participants will take effect on March 1, 2022. The ACP 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. Eligible households can also 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 and less than $50 toward the purchase price. The Affordable Connectivity Program is limited to one monthly service discount and one device discount per household. Who Is Eligible for the Affordable Connectivity Program? A household is eligible if a member of the household meets at least one of the criteria below: Has an income that is at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines; or Participates in certain assistance programs, such as SNAP, Medicaid, Federal Public Housing Assistance, SSI, WIC, or Lifeline; Participates in Tribal specific programs, such as Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance, Tribal TANF, or Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations; Is 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, 2020-2021, or 2021-2022 school year; Received a Federal Pell Grant during the current award year; or Meets the eligibility criteria for a participating provider’s existing low-income program. Two Steps to Enroll Go to ACPBenefit.org to submit an application or print out a mail-in application. Contact Wisper ISP to select a plan and have the discount applied to your bill. Wisper ISP may request additional information before applying your monthly discount to your new or existing service plan. Eligible households must both apply for the program and contact Wisper ISP to receive a service discount. Check out the Affordable Connectivity Program Consumer FAQ for more information about the benefit. If you need to talk to someone about your eligibility or application status, call the ACP Support Center at (877) 384-2575…. Read More

Important Changes are Coming to the EBB Program

On December 8, 2021, the Federal Communications Commission issued an order ending the temporary Emergency Broadband Benefit Program (EBB Program) and enacting, in its place, the new Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP).At 5 PM central standard time on December 30, 2021, the EBB program will officially end, and on December 31, the ACP will begin. There are several important changes that we want to communicate to you: The benefit amount will change from $50.00 per month to $30.00 per month for all new enrollees to the program. Households on Tribal lands will continue to be eligible to receive a benefit of up to $75.00 per month. All subscribers enrolled in the EBB program as of 5 PM on Thursday, December 30, 2021, will be automatically enrolled in the ACP but you will continue to receive your current EBB program benefit of $50.00 per month for 60 days while the systems are transitioned. On March 1, 2022, all ACP discounts will be reduced to $30.00 per month, with the exception of households on Tribal Lands, whose benefit will remain unchanged under the ACP. If you qualified for EBB due to significant financial loss or participation in a service provider’s COVID-19 relief program, you may be asked to recertify for participation in the ACP. You are free to switch service offerings at any time. There may be, at some future time, the requirement to re-certify annually. If you are required to take any action to maintain your benefit, you will be notified by the program administrator, the Universal Service Administration Company (USAC). More information will be provided by USAC as the rules are finalized and rolled out. We will also update you on any additional changes as we become aware of them…. Read More

Wisper Partners with the FCC on Emergency Broadband Benefit Program

Starting May 12, 2021, Wisper will able to offer eligible families a monthly service discount of up to $50 thanks to the Federal Communications Commission’s Emergency Broadband Benefit program. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for reliable internet service, but the price can big factor for some families. Because of this, the FCC created Emergency Broadband Benefits to help qualifying households afford their internet. Eligible households can apply for $50 per month towards broadband service or up to $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal lands. The FCC is also offering a one-time credit of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers. Who Is Eligible for the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program? In order to qualify for Emergency Broadband Benefits families must meet one of the following: Have an income that is at or below 135% of the  Federal Poverty Guidelines  or participates in certain assistance programs, such as SNAP, Medicaid, or Lifeline Be 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 Have 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 below $99,000 for single filers and $198,000 for joint filers OR Meet the eligibility criteria for a participating provider’s existing low-income or COVID-19 program. The Emergency Broadband Benefit is limited to one monthly service discount and one device discount per household. How to Apply If you believe you qualify for benefits, you can enroll in monthly discounts starting May 12, 2021. To apply, go to GetEmergencyBroadband.org. As an existing Wisper customer, you’ll select “Wisper ISP” under the ‘Companies Near Me’ tab. If you qualify, please email billing@wisperisp.com to make sure you receive your credit…. Read More