Free & Low-Cost Internet Plans - National Digital Inclusion Alliance

To meet the needs of low-income consumers, some Internet Service Providers (ISPs) offer discount broadband plans. With the launch of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), the number of low-cost offerings has increased rapidly and continues to grow. While greater choice for low-income consumers is a positive, varying costs, eligibility, and quality of service can make it challenging for digital inclusion practitioners, let alone individual customers, to understand which plans can best meet their needs.

Which offers are included on this page?

On May 9, 2022, the Biden-Harris Administration announced that they secured commitments from 20 Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to offer at least one high-speed internet plan with a minimum of 100 MB download for no more than $30/month, and a guarantee of no additional fees or data caps – making these plans free for households participating in ACP. Some of these plans align with or replace existing low-cost offers from ISPs, others are offered in addition to existing low-cost plans, and some are entirely new offers.

Most plans on this page have eligibility requirements linked to income or program enrollment; however, any plan that provides service for $30/month or less may be included. Specific criteria for a plan to be included are provided below.

Who is this page for?

This Free & Low Cost Internet Plans page was designed to be helpful for digital inclusion practitioners, community leaders, service providers, libraries, media, and others who may give guidance to clients and constituents. It is not designed for distribution to the general public. We encourage an individual looking for a low-cost internet service use EveryoneOn to find specific offers at their address.

ACP-Only Plans (Eligibility Requirements)

These plans are offered exclusively to Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) participants who use their ACP benefit to pay for the plan. With the $30 ACP benefit ($75 for Tribal participants) applied, these plans come at no cost to the customer.

Provider	Plan	Cost with ACP Benefit	Speed (Download/Upload)	Service Type	Additional Taxes and Fees	Service Area	Other Notes
Allo Communications	ALLO 100 Mbps Internet Service	$0	100/100	Fiber	None	Map
Astound (Powered by Wave)	150 Mbps Internet	$0	150/-	Fiber, Cable	See Notes	Map	We were not able to obtain any information about the upload speed and extra taxes and fees associated with this plan.
Breezeline	Internet Assist Plus Plan	$0	100/10	Cable	None	Map
Comporium	Connected Internet Program	$0	100/100	Fiber, Cable	None	Map
Frontier	Frontier Fiber Internet 100 Mbps	$0	100/100	Fiber	None	Map
Hawaiian Telcom	100 Mbps Fiber Internet	$0	100/100	Fiber	$34.99 activation fee (customer may request a waiver)	Map
Ideatek	Ideatek Essential Access	$0	100/100	Fiber, Fixed Wireless	None	Map
Jackson Energy Authority - EPlus Broadband	EPlus Broadband Internet Package 100x100 Mbps	$0	100/100	Fiber	None	Map
MLGC	MLGC Low Cost 100/20 Mbps Internet Plan	$0	100/20	Fiber, Cable	None	Map
Optimum	Optimum Online (300 Mbps)	$0	300/300	Fiber, Cable	None	Map
Spectrum (Charter Communications)	Spectrum Internet 100	$0	100/10	Cable	None	Map	Spectrum Internet 100 promotion price (including WiFi) is $29.99/mo for 2 years; standard rates apply after promotional period. If rates increase, it may no longer be completely free to ACP customers.
Verizon	Fios Forward 300	$0	300/300	Fiber	None	Map
Vermont Telephone Company	ACP “All In” Fully Funded Plan	$0	100/100	Fiber, DSL	None	Map
Wow! Internet, Cable and TV	ACP Internet 100	$0	100/10	Cable	None	Map

Low-Cost Plans (Eligibility Requirements)

These plans are offered to customers who meet specific eligibility requirements. The eligibility criteria for these plans are often broader than those for ACP, and they do not require participation in ACP to qualify for the low-cost offer. This means that some customers who are not eligible for ACP may still qualify for these plans. Eligibility varies by plan, but is generally based on income, participation in other assistance programs (e.g., Head Start, TANF, LIHEAP), or being part of a target group (e.g., K-12 students, residents of housing authority-owned property). ACP participants may use their benefit to pay for these plans.

Provider	Plan	Monthly Service Cost	Cost with ACP Benefit	Speed (Download/Upload)	Service Type	Additional Taxes and Fees	Service Area	Eligibility / Other Notes
AT&T	Access From AT&T ($30)	$30	$0	100/100	Fiber, DSL	None	Map	Access from AT&T is a low-cost program for home internet access in the 21 states where we offer wireline home internet services to limited income households who participate in the: Affordable Connectivity Program Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Supplemental Security Income (SSI) for California residents only National School Lunch, or have a household income below 200% of federal poverty guidelines. All households that qualify and enroll with AT&T for ACP will also qualify for Access from AT&T.
Comcast Xfinity	Internet Essentials Plus	$29.95	$0	100/10	Cable		Map	You may qualify if you: Qualify for programs like the National School Lunch Program, housing assistance, Medicaid, SNAP, SSI, Federal Pell Grant, and others Live in an area where Comcast Internet service is available Have not had Comcast Internet in the last 90 days Households who owe money to Comcast may still qualify if approved by 12/31/22 https://www.internetessentials.com/apply
Comcast Xfinity	Internet Essentials	$9.95	$0 (Additional taxes and fees may exceed ACP discount)	50/10	Cable		Map	You may qualify if you: Qualify for programs like the National School Lunch Program, housing assistance, Medicaid, SNAP, SSI, Federal Pell Grant, and others Live in an area where Comcast Internet service is available Have not had Comcast Internet in the last 90 days Households who owe money to Comcast may still qualify if approved by 12/31/22 https://www.internetessentials.com/apply
Cox Communications	ConnectAssist Package	$30	$0	100/3	Cable	None	Map	Unlimited data will be removed after 12 months and 1.25TB data limit will apply. ConnectAssist is available to households currently participating in one of the following programs: SNAP TANF Head Start WIC Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) certain Public Housing Pell Grant, Veterans Pension certain Tribal Programs Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
Cox Communications	Connect2Compete	$9.95	$0 (Additional taxes and fees may exceed ACP discount)	100/3	Cable	Taxes and fees may apply	Map	Connect2Compete is available to households with at least one K–12 student who currently participate in one of the following programs: National School Lunch SNAP TANF Head Start WIC Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Public Housing
Human-I-T	Human I-T Connect	$15	$0 monthly ($85 upfront modem fee)	-/-	Mobile Wireless	$85 modem	Map	Eligibility Criteria; Mobile wireless relies on cellular networks so speeds vary by location and coverage.
Optimum	Optimum Advantage Internet	$14.99	$0 (Additional taxes and fees may exceed ACP discount)	50/-	Cable	Taxes and fees may apply	Map	You may qualify for Optimum Advantage Internet if you’re in one of the following groups: Households with Students: Your household qualifies for or participates in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP); OR You are a New York City resident attending a New York City public school Seniors: You are 65 years or older and eligible for or receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Veterans You are a Veteran and receive state or federal public assistance. Universal Criteria: In addition to being in one of the groups above, you must not have an outstanding balance with Optimum or Suddenlink, you must live in an area where Optimum or Suddenlink Internet service is available, you must have not been an Optimum or Suddenlink Internet subscriber within the last 60 days, and you must provide a valid US Postal Service address when applying.
PCs for People	Bridging the Gap	$15	$0 monthly ($45 upfront modem fee)	50/10	Fixed Wireless, Mobile Wireless		Map	Eligibility Criteria; Mobile wireless relies on cellular networks so speeds vary by location and coverage.
Spectrum (Charter Communications)	Spectrum Internet Assist	Location dependent (minimum $17.99)	$0 (Additional taxes and fees may exceed ACP discount)	30/4	Cable	Taxes and fees may apply	Map	To qualify for this program, one or more members of your household must currently receive assistance under one of the following programs: National School Lunch Program (NSLP) Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) of the NSLP Supplemental Security Income (For Applicants 65+ Years of Age)
Starry	Starry Connect	$15	$0	30/30	Fixed Wireless	None	Map	Eligibility information here
Starry	Starry Select	$30	$0	100/50	Fixed Wireless	None	Map	Eligibility information here
Xtream (Powered by Mediacom)	Connect2Compete Plus (C2C+)	$30	$0	100/5	Cable	None	Map	Your household may qualify if: Mediacom offers internet service in your community or area You have at least one student in grades K-12 living at home At least one child qualifies for free or reduced-price school lunch through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) You are not a current Mediacom internet customer and have NOT subscribed to our internet service in the past 90 days, and You do not have an outstanding Mediacom bill or unreturned equipment** https://mediacomc2c.com/
Xtream (Powered by Mediacom)	Connect2Compete	$9.95	$0 (Additional taxes and fees may exceed ACP discount)	25/-	Cable	Taxes and fees may apply	Map	Your household may qualify if: Mediacom offers internet service in your community or area You have at least one student in grades K-12 living at home At least one child qualifies for free or reduced-price school lunch through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) You are not a current Mediacom internet customer and have NOT subscribed to our internet service in the past 90 days, and You do not have an outstanding Mediacom bill or unreturned equipment** https://mediacomc2c.com/

Low-Cost Plans (No Eligibility Requirements)

These plans are offered to all customers where the service is available, with no special eligibility criteria. ACP participants may use their benefit to pay for these plans.

Provider	Plan	Monthly Service Cost	Cost with ACP Benefit	Speed (Download/Upload)	Service Type	Additional Taxes and Fees	Service Area	Eligibility / Other Notes
DigitalC	EmpowerCLE+	$18	$0	50/20	Wireless		Map
Vexus Fiber	Vexus 150 Mbps High Speed Internet	$30	$17 in monthly fees	150/150	Fiber		Map

Notes

Speed (Download/Upload) – The download/upload speeds listed for each plan are the fastest speeds advertised for that plan. Actual speeds may vary depending on the type of service available in a given area, along with a range of other factors, some of which can be controlled by the provider and some of which can not.

Service Type – Service Type refers to the general type(s) of broadband technology through which the service is delivered. Where more than one type of service is listed, the provider generally offers service through the best technology (e.g., fiber) where it is available and through another technology (e.g., cable or DSL) where it is not.

Additional Taxes & Fees – Additional taxes and fees are meant to include any costs beyond a plan’s monthly subscription cost. These could include one-time costs like installation fees, as well as recurring costs such as taxes and monthly equipment rentals. These fees may or may not always be covered by ACP benefits. While NDIA makes an effort to document all additional costs, it is possible that some costs may not be readily apparent on a provider’s website.

Service Area – Service area mapping is shown for each provider and is not plan-specific, and some plans are not offered across a provider’s entire service area. Broadband Now is used to show general service areas, as they provide consistent mapping across all providers. For specific availability information about each plan, users should contact providers directly, using the links provided in the “Plan” field.

Inclusion Criteria

Free and Low-cost offers must meet the following minimum criteria to be included on this page:

Speed: Minimum speed threshold for any plan will not be lower than the Federal definition for Broadband Internet of 25mbs upload/3mbs download

Cost: Maximum cost for any plan will not be greater than $30/month

Data Caps: Plans included on this page have no data caps

Updates and Adding More Offers

NDIA is committed to keeping the Free & Low Cost Internet Plans page updated with timely and relevant information. The NDIA team actively seeks out plan information from ISPs and verifies information as we become aware of it. New plan information is added and updated on a weekly basis.

Recognizing that NDIA is not aware of every low-cost plan on offer, we encourage ISPs, our affiliates, and others to share additional plans that should be added to this page. To suggest additional content, email [email protected]. Additional plans should adhere to the Free & Low Cost Internet Plans page criteria, listed above.