Verizon will continue to offer discounts on its home Internet and wireless phone service for some customers who received subsidized service through the federal Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP).
On Tuesday, the company said it would commit to continue providing discounts on its own, even though the ACP is scheduled to wind down by the end of the month.
The ACP provided low-income and Tribal land households with a discount of $30 off the monthly plan of their wireless or home Internet service. Verizon was one of several broadband providers that allowed customers to apply the ACP discount to their phone or Internet plans.
The ACP was funded through April, and federal lawmakers have not acted on a request by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and public interest groups to continue financially supporting the benefit.
Despite this, Verizon says it will act on its own to continue providing low-income Americans with discounts on their phone and home Internet services.
Verizon Forward program participants will continue to receive discounts on home Internet service, including Verizon’s fixed wireless Internet product and Verizon Fios. That discount brings the price of Verizon Internet down to as low as $20 per month, the company said.
For a limited time, new customers who enroll in Verizon Forward will receive a further discount that will make their home Internet service essentially free, the company affirmed. That discount will be in place for at least six months from the start of their service.
“Verizon Forward features the same service, reliability and choice that comes with being a Verizon customer to those who need access the most,” a company spokesperson said in a statement.
Verizon Forward is available to new and existing customers, and customers do not need to be a Verizon Wireless customer or enroll in AutoPay to receive their benefits. Customers do need to meet certain eligibility requirements, most of which are aligned with the requirements of the ACP.
Additionally, current ACP benefit recipients that are enrolled in the Verizon Value prepaid wireless service will continue to get the full ACP credit of $30 through the end of May, the company said.
Verizon Value prepaid brands include Straight Talk, Total by Verizon, Simple Mobile, SafeLink, Walmart Family Mobile, Tracfone, Go Smart, Page Plus and Net 10, but does not include Verizon’s wholly-owned prepaid subsidiary Visible, which does not participate in the ACP.
Beyond May, Verizon said some former ACP recipients may qualify for LifeLine, a program that offers subsidized phone coverage for low-income Americans. Verizon’s SafeLink brand participates in LifeLIne and offers no-cost wireless phone service that includes 10 GBs of data.
New and existing customers can learn more about Verizon’s wireless and home Internet plans by clicking or tapping here.
