Cut Costs, Not Your Connection: How to Get Home Internet for Less


(StatePoint) If you’re struggling with access to reliable and affordable wireless home internet, you’re not alone. In fact, more than 20% of Americans living in rural areas and nearly 30% of Americans living in Tribal lands lack internet access, compared to only 1.5% of those living in urban areas. To make matters worse, the average American shells out about $75 each month for internet service, with over a third saying that cost is one of the biggest hurdles in getting their hands on home internet.

As internet usage increases, the United States faces even more of a nationwide digital divide, but federal government agencies are stepping in to help bridge the gap. In December 2021, the FCC launched a $14 billion initiative to provide people across the United States with affordable internet access through the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). Eligible participants can receive up to a $30 discount per month on fixed or wireless internet access, or up to $75 per month on Tribal lands.

So far, the program has provided discounted internet service to more than 20 million households across the country. Here’s how it works:

• Find out if you qualify through your household income and participation in government assisted programs by visiting fcc.gov/acp.

• If you qualify, apply for discounted service by visiting getinternet.gov/apply. If you’re unable to apply online, print the application or call (877) 384-2575 to have one mailed to your home address.

• Once approved, select an internet provider. Metro by T-Mobile is one provider helping bring awareness to the program. In fact, a recent study found that half of eligible households are unaware of the program’s existence or didn’t know anything about it. Metro is out to change that, offering 5G home internet for just $20 a month with Autopay for qualifying ACP households. It’s easy to sign up with no contracts, credit checks or hidden fees. New customers can visit their nearest Metro store to purchase the internet gateway and a Metro phone line to add home internet to their account. Visit metrobyt-mobile.com/acp to learn more about how Metro is helping to bridge the digital divide.

If you’re not eligible for ACP, there are other ways to save a few dollars when shopping around for home internet.

• Take Advantage of Free Trials: Some internet providers offer free trials or money-back guarantees to test out their internet in your home for a certain timeframe.

• Bundle Services: Check what other services you can bundle to save, like your phone plan, cable television and more.

• Autopay Discounts: Wireless companies often offer discounts for those accounts that sign up for autopay billing.

• Internet Connection Type: The type of internet you purchase matters. Fiber and traditional broadband connected through a cable in the wall tends to be more expensive than 5G wireless internet services that use a wireless connection.

Staying plugged into our increasingly digital world on your terms and budget is totally achievable! Get savvy with your shopping and cash in on initiatives and perks to keep your wallet happy while staying connected.

PHOTO SOURCE: © PeopleImages / iStock via Getty Images Plus


More Resources

Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 403, exiting

More Personal Technology Information:

Related Articles

Email Management
If you utilize a computer at home or work it is likely that you use email. Email is an electronic message that is sent from one computer to another following a specific protocol (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol or SMTP).
How To Search Your PC With Google Desktop
In this era of Internet, most people are frequent users of computers. Many of us use computers through out the day, accumulating morasses of information in various formats, which include email, digital photo, word document, spreadsheet, presentation file, ebook, article, other downloaded files, music, visited web pages, and many others.
Selecting the Perfect Big Screen TV
Selecting a TV isn't as easy as it used to be in years goneby. Rather than going to the local department store and choosing a console that would take up a large portion of the living room, we now have other options.
Top 9 Ways To Speed Up Your Surfing & Computing
It seems like fast never quite rates fast enough.No matter how quickly something moves, especially on theInternet, it could always move faster.
Build Your Own Computer
I'm eighty-one years old and I bought my first computer six years ago. When I bought it I hardly knew how to turn it on.
Spyware Remover
Your first step in removing dangerous infections from your computer should be downloading a free program called Hijack This. Make sure you download the file and extract it to a directory on your hard drive, you can call it HijackThis.
Faster Browsing Tips
IF WE say that it was mainly because of the Windows operating system that a Computer could become a personal computer it would not be an exaggeration. The revolution is still on.
10 Tips to Stay Safe and Secure Online
The Internet can be a dangerous place.While you're enjoying the convenience of online shopping, Internet banking and subscription websites, nasty people lurk around every corner.
Computer Viruses are Bad Luck
OK, so you caught a computer virus and your system is all screwed up and you're frustrated and angry and upset. Bad luck.
The Newbies Guide to Personal Computer Maintenance
When you turn on your computer, does it act like it needs a coffee to wake up? When you surf around the Internet, are you bombarded with pop-up windows? Does your computer freeze up or turn off for no apparent reason?Before you decide to throw your monitor out of the nearest window, there may be a number of solutions to fix these problems that won't require you having a degree in computer technology.There are two primary ways to maintain your computer's performance, and the maintenance should be done once a week or more.
Setting File Permissions On A Unix Server
File permissions are one of the strengths that the Unix world has had over it's Windows contemporaries. Permissions are a means to control access to information on a computer, on a file by file basis.
A Peek Into the Near Future of Electronics Technology
How long do you think DVDs have around? 20 years? 10 years? Actually, they have only been around for about seven years, but it seems like they have been around much longer. Many of us can hardly remember life before DVDs.
Have You Invited A Spy Into Your Computer?
Yes, it's true. You may have inadvertently invited a spy into your computer.
404 Error Pages: What Are They And How Do You Create One?
We've all seen them, you've been browsing a website and you click a link and nothing loads apart from the words '404 Error' along with the usual stuff.So what is a 404 Error page? The 404 Error page, basically informs the user that the server cannot find the file they are looking for.
Healthy Webmasters Choose Ergonomic Computer Products
Webmasters usually sit at their computers much longer in a day than most other office workers, sometimes up to 10 and 12 hours. This can bring about the potential for physical discomforts that are attributed to prolonged use and the repetitive tasks that they perform on computers every day.
JVCs First Three-Layer Combo-Disc Blu-Ray / DVD
JVC developed and used a high-performance reflective film to produce this revolutionary three layer structure. The outer Blu-ray layer can be read by the blue light laser but it is transparent for the red light laser which therefore has access to the inner dual DVD layer.
PC Tools Youd Never Think You Need
Do you use Windows standard uninstall feature? How do you migrate data from your old PC to the new one? Get some tips on amazing software you never knew existed and find out why the pros have been using them for years.Ashampoo UnInstaller SuiteThe question is, why should this be necessary at all? Why do you need a special program? Why can't you just delete an application in the same way you can delete a file? The full answer to this question could fill a book.
Buying A PC Flat Screen Monitor
For six years, my Samsung PC 13.8 inch SyncMaster conventionalmonitor has served me well.
Password Nightmares
Good Morning Mr. Sampson.
Keeping the Windows Registry Operational
The registry is where the computer stores information about the configuration of the system and the programs installed so that the operating system can use them.Regularly maintaining the registry is a basic requirement.