In this current world, it is literally impossible to conduct anything without connection. From school activities, conducting business zoom meetings, accessing doctor’s services, everything now revolves around the use of phones, tablets, and other internet devices. Unfortunately, not everyone is lucky enough to afford connection services and devices. This is because of the current economic crisis that the world is experiencing that has left several households either jobless or with low income. To make it easy for everyone to stay connected, the federal government came up with two programs that offer discounts on internet services.
Lifeline and ACP are the two programs that were set by the government as an effort to ensure low-income households also have access to the current trend-the internet. Lifeline is a federal program that offers free or discounted phone and internet services to qualified customers. ACP is a government-sponsored program that provides discounts on broadband internet services. These programs are both managed by the federal communications commission. However, they are two separate programs with distinct plans. If you want lifeline and ACP benefits combined, it’s still possible to access them. This is through service providers that offer lifeline ACP combo. In this guide, we shall discuss all you need to know about the lifeline ACP combo plan and other related ideas.
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Difference Between Lifeline And ACP Program
Although Lifeline and ACP programs are broadband programs that are offered by the Federal government of the United States, they have a number of differences. To start with, if you want to qualify for the Lifeline program, be sure that your income stands at or is below 135% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. Better still, be a participant in a government assistance program such as Medicaid, SSI, SNAP, Federal Public Housing Assistance, Veterans and Survivors Pension Benefit, and so forth.
On the other hand, if you want to qualify for the Affordable Connectivity Program, your income has to stand at or be below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines or be a participant of a government assistance program such as SNAP, SSI, Veterans and Survivors Pension Benefit, Women, Infants and Children (WIC), and so forth.
If you check keenly, these programs differ more when it comes to income eligibility criteria. Besides this, Lifeline program has been in existence for many years. However, ACP program got launched on 31st December 2021, when the Emergency Broadband Benefit program came to an end. Therefore, ACP facility is generally a relatively newer program as it has not even one-year-old, since it got launched.
When it comes to the benefits that one can get from Lifeline program, be sure that you will enjoy discount of up to $9.25 per month if you reside on Non-Tribal lands. In case you reside on the Tribal lands, you will be able to enjoy discounts of up to $34.25.
If you are a beneficiary of the ACP facility, be sure that you will enjoy discounts of up to $30 per month if you reside on Non-Tribal lands. On the other hand, if you reside on Tribal lands, you will enjoy monthly discounts of up to $75 on your cell phone bills.
In addition, Lifeline program mainly offers smartphones, while the ACP program usually allows beneficiaries to get discounted tablets, computers and laptops. For you to get a discounted tablet, laptop, or computer, you must ensure that you contribute at least $10 and not more than $50.On the other hand, you will be able to get a one-time discount of up to $100.
Benefits of Getting Lifeline and ACP Combo Plan Together
As we speak, you can now get Lifeline ACP combo plan and be able to save more on your monthly cell phone bills. Besides this, you will be able to get a free smartphone and thus be able to reduce your overall communication costs significantly. Thankfully, some carriers now offers this plan and thus can be a lifesaver for those who want to remain connected but their budget cannot allow them.
Eligible Requirements For Lifeline ACP Combo Plan
To be eligible for the Lifeline ACP Combo plan, there is a set of requirements that you must meet. Here is a breakdown of the requirements that you must meet:
1. Low-income criteria
If you want to qualify for the Lifeline ACP combo plan, your income has to stand at or be below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. Therefore, you can check the FPG of your state and then establish if you meet these requirements or not.
2. You are a participant in a government-assistance program
In case you do not qualify via the low-income criteria, you can qualify for the Lifeline ACP combo plan if at all you are a participant of a government assistance program such as:
- Medicaid
- Supplemental Security Income
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
- Federal Public Housing Assistance
- Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
- Veterans and Survivors Pension Benefit
- You benefited from the free and reduced-price school lunch program or school breakfast program.
- You are a beneficiary of the Federal Pell Grant during the current award year.
If you reside in the Tribal lands, be sure that you can qualify for the Lifeline ACP combo plan if at all you participate in any of the following government assistance programs:
- Tribal TANF
- Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance
- Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations
Documents Needed While You Applying For Lifeline ACP Combo Plan
When applying for the Lifeline ACP combo plan, there is a number of documents that you must present. To put this into perspective, you should submit copies of your personal documents as we all have eligibility documents. By doing so, you will be able to prove your identity and eligibility status respectively. Here is an outline of these documents so that you can know them better:
1. Personal documents
As far as your personal documents are concerned, you need to submit an official document that contains your date of birth, full name, your address among other details. Some of the documents that contain these details include:
- Your government-issued, state, military or Tribal ID
- Your birth certificate
- Your certificate of U.S citizenship or naturalization,
- Your U.S driver’s license
- Your Green card or permanent resident card or
2. Eligibility documents
Besides the personal documents, you need to submit an official document that can help prove your eligibility status. To prove your eligibility status, you can submit a document that shows that you earn a low income or are a participant in a government assistance program.
Here, we will outline these documents for you so that you can know the document that you should submit alongside the personal documents mentioned above. If you want to prove that your income stands at or is below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, here are some documents that you should submit:
- Your prior year’s federal, state or Tribal tax return
- Your Social Security statement of benefits
- Your current income statement from your employer
- Your paycheck stub
- Your pension or retirement statement of benefits.
- Any other official document that shows your current income levels.
If you want to prove that you are a beneficiary of a government-assistance program such as Medicaid, SNAP, SSI, WIC and so forth, here are some documents that you should submit during the application process:
- Your benefit award letter
- Your approval letter
- Your benefit verification letter
- Your statement of benefits
- An official document that shows that you are a beneficiary of free and reduced-price school breakfast program or school lunch program.
- An official document that shows that you benefited from a Federal Pell Grant during the current award year.
Although those who are 18 years and above can apply for this program, those minors who are emancipated can also apply for the program and enjoy its benefits. To prove your emancipation status, you should submit either your certification emancipation or an official court document that can help prove the same. More importantly, ensure that you submit copies of all the document that we have mentioned above as you might need to have or utilize the originals later on in life.
8 Best Providers That Offer Lifeline ACP Combo Plan Together
Although some carriers provide Lifeline and ACP as separate broadband programs, there are certain carriers that provide them as a pair or a combo plan. Here, we will outline these service providers alongside their respective Lifeline ACP Combo plans:
1. Qlink Wireless
Qlink has a very incredible lifeline & ACP plan that gives you a tablet+ smartphone+ free plan for just $29.95. Once you qualify, you will enjoy other plans like:
- Unlimited talk
- Unlimited text and picture messaging
- Unlimited mobile data
- Free voicemail and 3-way calling
- Free SIM card and activation.
- 911 Emergency service calls
- Access to 10 million free Wi-Fi locations
2. AirTalk Wireless
Airtalk wireless has a very valuable lifeline &ACP combo plan that is given for free to all qualified users. Once you qualify for the combo benefits, be sure that you will enjoy the following:
- Unlimited talk
- Free smartphone. Here, you might be able to get a free iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 7, Samsung Galaxy S8, among other models.
- 15 GB of high speed 4G LTE/5G mobile data. After the 15GB data cap lapses, you might experience slow internet speeds.
- Unlimited text and picture messaging
- Free shipping
- Caller ID,3-way calling, call waiting, voicemail services
- With this plan in place, you will be able to enjoy unlimited calling to states such as Brazil, Canada, Argentina, Mexico, Peru, Paraguay, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Columbia among others.
3. Cintex Wireless
Intex wireless also offers a lifeline& ACP combo plan that is given to qualified users for zero charges. If you qualify for this carrier’s Lifeline ACP combo plan, be sure that you will enjoy the following benefits:
- Free iPhone 7, Samsung Galaxy S8, iPhone 6 Plus, among others.
- Unlimited talk.
- 15GB of high speed 4G LTE or 5G mobile data. After you exhaust the 15GB data cap, be sure that your internet speeds will reduce significantly.
- Unlimited text and picture messaging
- Free shipping
- Caller waiting
- Caller ID
- 3-way calling and voicemail.
- Unlimited calling to Mexico, Peru, Argentina, Canada, Colombia, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Paraguay, Brazil, Guadeloupe, among other states.
4. MyEasy Wireless
Besides the carriers that we have mentioned above, MyEasy Wireless is another carrier that offers Lifeline ACP combo plan to qualified customers. In fact, this carrier has more than one combo plan. These are plans like:
- Free unlimited plan that offers the following:
- Unlimited text
- Free smartphone
- Unlimited text
- Unlimited data
- Free plus plan that offers:
- Free smartphone
- Unlimited text
- Unlimited talk
- 5 GB data
- Free base plan that offers
- A smartphone at a discounted price of $25
- Free text
- 1000 talk minutes
- 25 MB of data
Besides the above-mentioned benefits, here are other additional services that you are likely to enjoy:
- Call waiting
- Caller ID
- Voicemail
- Text and picture messaging
- 3 way calling
- Free 611 customer care support
- Free 411 Directory Assistance
- Free 911 Emergency services
- Call forwarding
5. Standup Wireless
If you are eligible for this carrier’s Lifeline ACP combo plan, be certain that you will enjoy the following benefits:
- Unlimited talk and text
- 10GB of high speed 4G LTE or 5G mobile data
- Unlimited additional data
- Free smartphone
- A good network coverage
- Once you bundle ACP and Lifeline benefits, you will be able to save up to $40.
6. NewPhone Wireless
New phone wireless also offers $0 per month lifeline$ ACP combo plan to all qualified customers. Once you qualify for NewPhone Wireless Lifeline ACP combo plan, here are some benefits that you will enjoy:
- Unlimited talk
- Free smartphone. Here, you might get a free Samsung Galaxy S8, iPhone 7, iPhone 6Plus, among other models.
- 15GB of high speed 4G LTE or 5G mobile data. After you exhaust the 15GB allocated to you, your internet speeds might reduce significantly.
- Unlimited text and picture messaging
- Unlimited talk
- Free shipping
- Caller ID
- 3-way calling and voicemail
- Call waiting
- Unlimited calling to Argentina, Canada, Paraguay, Peru, Costa Rica, Mexico, Venezuela, Brazil, Guadeloupe, Columbia, among other countries.
- The benefits of this plan are valued to be $750 per year.
7. EnTouch Wireless
By being eligible for EnTouch Wireless Lifeline ACP Combo plan, you will enjoy the following offers:
- Unlimited talk and text
- Unlimited data
- Free smartphone
- A good network coverage
- A good customer support service
8. Assist Wireless
Depending on the state you come from, Assist Wireless Lifeline ACP combo plan comes with variety of offers. For instance, if you come from Arkansas, you will enjoy these offers:
- Unlimited text
- Unlimited talk
- 10GB of mobile data
If you come from Maryland, you will enjoy the following offers:
- Unlimited talk
- Unlimited text
- 12GB of mobile data
In case you come from Missouri, here are the benefits that you are likely to enjoy:
- Unlimited text
- Unlimited talk
- 10GB of mobile data
FAQ
Is the ACP program permanent?
This program will be there for quite some time. Since it was launched at the beginning of 2022, it is expected to last throughout this year. However, all enrolled members might require recertification towards the end of 2022. Ideally, the program was meant to be a permanent extension of the previous Emergency Broadband Benefit program. Therefore, this program might run for several years before it comes to an end.