Low-income families would now be offered discounted internet access by AT&T starting for as low at $5 a month.

The new program, called Access from AT&T says that any home where at least one person receives food stamps will be eligible for the new program.

AT&T had made an agreement with FCC last year for its DirectTV merger and the new program offering is part of that agreement and will be available until 2020.

Joining Comcast, Google Fiber, and some local government and nonprofit organizations and companies, the company is the latest to offer discounted internet to low-income households in the United States.

For families who would otherwise be forced to rely on school connections or cell phones, the new AT&T and other similar programs help close the so-called “digital divide”. There can be countless negative implications, including for students who need it to complete homework and adults who are searching for jobs, due to a lack of reliable internet access.

A $9.25 subsidy that could go toward broadband internet for low-income households was initiated by the FCC in March as it voted to expand its Lifeline program. With the aim of bringing internet access to 20 million homes by 2020, the government has started another initiative called ConnectALL.

Access to 3Mbps connections for $5 a month, and faster 5Mbps or 10Mbps connections for $10 a month would be offered from AT&T. All installation and equipment fees will also be waived. People will automatically be assigned the fastest available where they live and would not be able to actually get to choose their speed.

10Mbps and under is still considered a slow connection even though for  the people without home internet or depending on school internet any connection might be an improvement for such homes. According to the FCC, a broadband connection is 25Mpbs and up.

Up to 600GB would be the data limits for people using the program and overage charges for anyone who uses more.

It will work with community organizations on education to spread the word about the program, AT&T says. The pool of potential customers is deep. There are 22 million families signed up for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which offers food stamps as AT&T currently offers internet in 21 states.

(Adapted from CNN)

Categories: Economy & Finance, Uncategorized