Eligibility and Restrictions

Most discount internet offers limit eligibility to households who fall into one of the following categories:

  • Have a child who is eligible for the National School Lunch Program.
  • Recipient of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
  • Currently receiving HUD housing assistance.
  • A low-income Veteran receiving federal or state public assistance
  • 62 years or older, receiving federal of state public assistance and live in Atlanta, Georgia; Boston, Massachusetts; Detroit, Michigan; Fresno County, California; Hartford County, Connecticut; Houston, Texas; Miami-Dade County, Florida; Palm Beach County, Florida; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; San Francisco, California; Santa Clara County, California; and Seattle, Washington.
  • A Pell Grant recipient who is enrolled in a 2-year community college (only in Colorado and Illinois).

Unfortunately, that means there are people who are low-income on an economic scale; however, they do not fall into any of the above categories.

In addition to qualification categories, there are additional barriers that can restrict an individual from gaining access to a discount internet offer. Restrictions include:

  • Service availability.
  • No outstanding debt with the ISP.
  • No subscription within the past 90 days with the ISP.
  • No unreturned equipment with the ISP.

It is also important to note that the requirements change and sometimes differ depending on geographic location. We encourage conversations with ISPs about the offers in their areas. The searchable tool available with this guidebook includes the eligibility and restrictions of each low-cost internet offer.