UW Unit Promotes Assistance to Get Internet for Wyoming Households

The Wyoming Institute for Disabilities (WIND), an academic unit of the University of Wyoming College of Health Sciences, has partnered with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in order to build consumer awareness about the emergency broadband benefit.

This new FCC program will temporarily provide assistance to help lower the cost of broadband service for eligible households during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A household is eligible if one member of the household meets at least one of these criteria:

• Has an income that is at or below 135 percent of the federal poverty guidelines or participates in certain assistance programs.
• Approved to receive benefits under the free and reduced-price school lunch program or the school breakfast program, including through the U.S. Department of Agriculture community eligibility provision.
• Received a federal Pell grant during the current award year.
• Experienced a substantial loss of income through job loss or furlough since Feb. 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.
• Meets the eligibility criteria for a participating provider’s existing low-income or COVID-19 program.

Emergency Broadband Benefit Program enrollment opened May 12.