The Affordable Connectivity Program ended June 1, 2024, and with it, a $30-a-month internet subsidy that 23 million households had been using. Congress hasn’t restored it. Around 5 million of those households went without home internet rather than pay full price. Lifeline (the much older and smaller federal discount program) never went away. It’s still active. It still pays $9.25 a month off your phone or internet bill. Stacked with a provider’s low-income plan, it can produce something close to what the ACP used to offer.
Here’s what exists now, what doesn’t, and how the pieces fit together.
Lifeline vs ACP vs provider low-income plans
| Lifeline (still active) | ACP (ended June 2024) | Provider low-income plans | |
| Status in 2026 | Active | Ended; not accepting applications | Active |
| Discount | Up to $9.25/mo ($34.25 on Tribal lands) | Up to $30/mo ($75 Tribal) | Varies; typically $10-30/mo |
| Income limit | 135% FPL | 200% FPL | Usually same as Lifeline or similar |
| Covers | Phone, internet, or bundle | Internet only | Internet (some cell options) |
| Device discount | No | One-time $100 device | Some offer cheap devices |
| How funded | Universal Service Fund (not Congressional appropriations) | Congressional funding, which expired | Company-funded |
| Who runs it | FCC, via USAC | FCC (wound down) | Individual ISPs |
Lifeline survived because it’s funded by telecom fees that get passed to consumers. ACP needed new funding every year, and when Congress stopped approving it, the program ran out.
Who qualifies for Lifeline in 2026
Your household qualifies if income is at or below 135% of the Federal Poverty Level, or if anyone in the household participates in SNAP, Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income, Federal Public Housing Assistance (including Section 8), Veterans Pension or Survivors Pension, or certain Tribal programs (Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance, Tribal TANF, Head Start, FDPIR).
For 2026, 135% FPL is roughly $21,128 for one person, $28,553 for two, $35,978 for three, $43,403 for four. Each additional person adds about $7,425. Alaska and Hawaii use higher thresholds. Eligible households on Tribal lands qualify for an enhanced benefit of up to $34.25/month.
What the $9.25 gets you
Lifeline isn’t a full plan. It’s a per-household discount that shows up as a monthly credit on your bill with a participating provider. The typical shape of that benefit depends on what you pair it with.
Applied to a free cell phone plan, many providers (SafeLink via TracFone, Assurance Wireless, enTouch, StandUp Wireless, Q Link) offer “free” Lifeline plans where the $9.25 subsidy covers service entirely. You get a basic smartphone and a monthly allotment of minutes, texts, and data that varies by provider and state.
Applied to a wired internet bill, it’s $9.25 off your Xfinity, Spectrum, AT&T, or other monthly bill. Not transformative. If your bill is $75, it becomes $65.75.
Applied to a bundle, useful with low-cost ISP plans. Xfinity Internet Essentials ($14.95) minus $9.25 equals $5.70 a month. AT&T Access ($15) with Lifeline applied drops to roughly the same.
On Tribal lands, the enhanced $34.25/month subsidy often covers the entire cellphone or basic internet plan.
One benefit per household
This trips up a lot of families. One Lifeline per household, not per person. If you already have Lifeline on your cell phone, your spouse can’t also have it on their internet. One line, one service, one discount.
“Household” means people living together who share income and expenses. Roommates who keep finances separate count as separate households and can each have Lifeline.
Provider plans worth stacking
Most major ISPs run their own discounted plans, separate from federal programs. Typical eligibility: SNAP, Medicaid, or having a K-12 student receiving free school meals. Current plans include:
Xfinity Internet Essentials at $14.95/month for up to 75 Mbps. Xfinity Internet Essentials Plus at $29.95/month for up to 100 Mbps. AT&T Access starting around $15/month with speed varying by area. Spectrum Internet Assist at about $25/month for up to 50 Mbps, no data caps, no contract. Cox Connect2Compete at $9.95/month for up to 100 Mbps (requires a K-12 child plus government assistance). T-Mobile Assurance and various prepaid hotspot options from $15/month.
You can combine Lifeline with most of these. A $14.95 Xfinity plan with Lifeline applied drops to roughly $5.70.
Applying
Three paths.
Online at LifelineSupport.org is fastest. Create an account at getlifeline.com (USAC runs it), upload proof of income or program participation, get a decision within about 10 business days.
Through a participating provider. Many Lifeline carriers (SafeLink, Assurance Wireless, Q Link, TruConnect) will walk you through the application during signup and handle the USAC submission for you.
By mail. Download the paper application from USAC, fill it out, attach copies of documents, send to the Washington address on the form. Slower.
What you’ll need: proof of identity (driver’s license, state ID, passport), proof of program participation (SNAP/Medicaid approval letter) or proof of income (pay stubs, tax return, unemployment letter), and proof of address (utility bill, lease, voter registration).
Annual recertification
Lifeline requires yearly recertification. USAC sends a notice 60 days before your anniversary to the address on file. You respond online at NationalVerifier.com or by phone.
Miss it and the benefit ends. You have to reapply from scratch.
Set a phone reminder when you sign up. If your address changes, update it immediately, since that’s the channel the notice goes through.
If you don’t qualify
Above 135% FPL and not enrolled in a qualifying program means Lifeline isn’t an option. Several alternatives exist.
Getting on SNAP or Medicaid at a reasonable income level qualifies you for Lifeline automatically. Worth checking first.
Provider low-income plans (Xfinity Internet Essentials, AT&T Access) sometimes have broader eligibility criteria than Lifeline’s and work on their own.
State programs fill gaps in a few places. New York’s Affordable Broadband Act requires providers to offer $15 plans to low-income New Yorkers. California runs California LifeLine as a state supplement to federal Lifeline. New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Colorado have variations. Search “[your state] low income internet program.”
Public libraries, community centers, and WorkSource locations offer free Wi-Fi and device access. PCs for People sells refurbished computers for $50-$250.
Why this matters for hourly workers
Home internet isn’t optional anymore for most hourly workers. Scheduling apps like Kroger MyTime, Walmart’s Me@Walmart, and Target’s MyTime all require internet access. Pay stub portals (Walmart OneWalmart, Target Workday, Kroger MyInfo) require it. Applying to open shifts or new jobs, accessing unemployment or Medicaid portals, kids’ homework, telehealth appointments, direct deposit and bill pay, all of it assumes home internet.
Losing internet isn’t a minor inconvenience for a retail or warehouse worker. It cuts off income, benefits, and healthcare. Lifeline alone rarely solves that. Lifeline plus a provider low-income plan usually does.
The “free government phone” thing
When someone says “free government phone,” they usually mean Lifeline applied to a carrier plan. The phone itself is basic, an older Android or entry-level smartphone. The plan is covered by the $9.25 subsidy. The provider eats any remaining cost in exchange for signing you up (they recoup through USAC).
It’s legitimate when real Lifeline carriers offer it. It’s a scam when some “agency” asks for your SSN or bank info via text or ad. Apply only at lifelinesupport.org or through a known carrier.
What this comes out to
Lifeline is small. $9.25/month isn’t transformative on its own. Stacked with a $15 provider plan, it produces the closest thing to affordable internet that exists right now for low-income households. The ACP is gone. Nothing has replaced it. Pretending otherwise wastes time. Use what’s actually here.