FCC Expands Emergency Broadband Benefit Program Eligibility

The Wireline Competition Bureau announced that it will expand the school years that will be acceptable for eligibility determination purposes for the Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) Program. As a result of this change, households that can demonstrate participation in the free and reduced price school lunch program or school breakfast program for the 2021-2022 school year will now be eligible for the benefit. In the EBB Program Order, the FCC clarified that, in addition to households that apply for and are approved to receive benefits under the free and reduced price school lunch program or school breakfast program, households with students that are enrolled in schools that participate in the USDA Community Eligibility Provision will also be eligible for the EBB Program under the school lunch program or school breakfast program eligibility criteria. The Bureau directs the Universal Service Administrative Company,  as the EBB Program administrator, to begin accepting proof of eligibility consistent with the Bureau’s direction in this Public Notice, and to expeditiously update its systems and processes as needed to implement the change.