How to Get Low-Cost Internet Assistance

You can get low-income internet assistance through a government-funded subsidy program or through an affordable internet plan directly from an internet service provider. In some cases, you can combine both to lower your monthly internet bill.

Currently, Lifeline is the federal government's main assistance program for home internet. This program offers a discount on your monthly internet or phone service, based on if your income is 135% or less of Federal Poverty Guidelines or if you receive certain federal benefits.

Many internet service providers also offer low-cost internet plans for qualifying households. This includes internet plans starting as low as $9.95 monthly. We go into the details of each program further down, but here’s a quick look at all the available options:

Lifeline is a federal program that helps low-income households and families pay for their internet or phone bill with a $9.25 monthly discount. For those living on Tribal lands, the discount is up to $34.25 monthly.

To get the discount, you need to check if you qualify and apply for the program. After you qualify, you need to check with your internet provider and ask if you can apply your Lifeline benefit to one of its services.

Households can qualify for the Lifeline program if they meet one of the following criteria:

• Have income 135% or less than the Federal Poverty Guidelines
• Use one of the following federal assistance programs:
  • Federal Public Housing Assistance (FPHA)
  • Medicaid
  • Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
  • Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
  • Veterans Pension and Survivors Benefit
• You are a survivor of domestic violence, human trafficking, or related crimes and provide proof of a line separation request and are experiencing financial hardship

If you live on Tribal lands, you can qualify for additional Lifeline discounts if your household meets one of the following criteria:

• Meet any of the criteria listed above for the Lifeline program
• Receive Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance
• Receive Head Start (only households meeting the income qualifying standard)
• Receive Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (Tribal TANF)
• Participate in the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations

Many highly rated internet providers offer a low income internet plan for qualifying households. In some areas, you can even maximize your savings by combining the federal Lifeline discount with one of these internet plans.

As with most internet plans, availability is one of the biggest factors in determining whether you can actually sign up to a low-income internet plan. Even if you find an affordable internet plan, the internet provider in question might not service your specific area. So before you dig into all the details, type in your zip code below to find out which plans are available.

Internet First from Astound provides fast, affordable internet (and three months free) to qualifying low-income households.

Internet First from Astound plans deliver 50Mbps to 150Mbps download speeds for $9.95 to $19.95 monthly. The plan includes Wi-Fi equipment and unlimited data. There are no contracts, and customers also get a free unlimited mobile line for a year.

To be eligible for Internet First from Astound, customers can’t have previously subscribed to Astound within 60 days and need to meet one of the following criteria or receive one of the following benefits:

• Housing assistance
• National School Lunch Program (NSLP)
• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
• Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
• Students under federal assisted aid programs

AT&T Access offers discounted prices to eligible AT&T Fiber customers. Since AT&T Fiber is one of the best internet service providers you can get, this is an amazing offer for those who could truly benefit from a reliable fiber internet service.

The AT&T Access plan costs $30 monthly for 100Mbps download speeds, or you can apply a $20 discount to higher speed plans offered by AT&T Fiber. AT&T Access includes Wi-Fi equipment, installation. There are no contracts. If you're not sure whether you qualify, check our AT&T low-income internet resource for a full breakdown of eligibility and how to apply.

To be eligible for AT&T Access, a member of your household needs to meet one of the following criteria or receive one of the following benefits:

• Federal Pell Grant​
• Have a household income below 200% of federal poverty guidelines
• NSLP, SSI, or SNAP
• Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)

Cox is unique in that it offers three affordable internet plans with discounts tailored to different household financial situations. All plans deliver up to 100Mbps, which is plenty of speed for multiple users that want to stream, take Zoom calls, or do homework at the same time.

The Cox Connect2Compete plan is specifically for households with school-aged children. The plan costs just $9.95 monthly for up to 100Mbps and includes Wi-Fi modem rental, 1.25TB of data, and free self-installation. To be eligible for Cox Connect2Compete, households must have at least one K-12 Student and be enrolled in SNAP or NSLP.

The Cox ConnectAssist plan delivers up to 100Mbps download speeds for $30 monthly and comes with free modem rental, free self-installation, and no annual contract or cancellation fees. The plan comes with a data cap of 1.25TB. To be eligible, households must be participating in select government assistance programs like Pell Grant, SNAP, or Supplemental Security Income (SSI), tribal programs, Veterans Pension, or WIC.

Cox StraightUp Internet is a prepaid internet service with 100Mbps download speed for $50 monthly. This plan includes a free Wi-Fi modem, free self-installation, and up to 1.25TB of data. There is no eligibility requirement for customers in a serviceable area.

To learn more about how to apply and extra tips on how to lower your bill, read our Cox low-income internet guide.

Can't qualify for a low-income plan and unhappy with your bill? Check out eight smart ways to lower your Cox internet bill.

Mediacom’s Xtream Connect plans provide qualifying households with fast internet speeds at a significant discount.

Xtream Connect by Mediacom delivers up to 100Mbps download speed for $14.99 monthly. There are no contracts or installation fees, and you can use your own network-compatible modem. You can use as much data as you want for downloads, but there is a cap of 1TB for upstream usage. Households with at least one child who participates in the National School Lunch Program can have the modem rental fee waived, otherwise it costs $15 monthly to rent one.

To be eligible for Xtream Connect by Mediacom, customers must not have an outstanding Mediacom balance, and a member of your household needs to receive one of the following benefits:

• Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance
• Federal Pell Grant in the current award year
• Federal Public Housing Assistance (FPHA) and other rental assistance or affordable housing programs
• Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations
• Head Start (only households meeting the income qualifying standard)
• Lifeline Program
• Medicaid
• SNAP, SSI, NSLP, or WIC
• Tribal Assistance Programs
• Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (Tribal TANF)
• Veterans Pension and Survivors Benefit

Optimum Advantage Internet offers reliable, discounted internet plans to qualifying households. Unlike Optimum’s regular monthly internet rates, which start at $40 and then increase annually, the Optimum Advantage plans stay the same rate—so you can rest easy knowing that your bill won’t suddenly change.

There are two plans available for qualifying households: Optimum Advantage and Advantage+ Internet. These plans deliver 50Mbps to 100Mbps internet for $14.99 to $25 per month. Both plans include unlimited data, free installation, and Wi-Fi equipment. There are no contracts, plus you get a 60-day money-back guarantee if you want to cancel.

To be eligible for Optimum Advantage Internet, you need to meet one of the following criteria:

• Participate in NSLP
• You’re 65+ and on SSI
• You’re a New York City resident attending a New York City public school
• You’re a veteran receiving state or public assistance

Quantum Fiber offers a discounted fiber internet plan called Simple Fiber for low-income households. Since it uses a fiber connection, you can count on reliable, fast speeds.

Simple Fiber delivers speeds up to 200Mbps symmetrical speeds for only $30 per month. There are no contracts, cancellation fees, and all equipment is included.

To be eligible for Quantum Fiber Simply Fiber Internet, you need to participate in one of the following programs:

• Federal Public Housing Assistance
• HeadStart
• NSLP, SNAP, or WIC
• LIHEAP
• Medicare or SSI
• TANF
• Veteran’s Pension or Survivor’s Benefits

Spectrum Internet Advantage offers affordable internet plans to qualifying households. If you're not sure whether you meet the requirements, check out our Spectrum Low-Income Internet Guide for details on eligibility. Spectrum is ranked as Reviews.org’s best cable internet provider, so you’re in good hands with the provider’s reliable internet connection, contract-free plans, and frequent deals and discounts.

Spectrum Internet Advantage costs $30 monthly for the first year for 100Mbps. It includes one unlimited mobile line for a year, unlimited data, and a security suite. You need to provide your own router or add Spectrum Advanced WiFi to your plan for an additional $10 monthly. There are no contracts.

To be eligible for Spectrum Internet Advantage, a member of your household needs to participate in one of these programs:

• NSLP
• Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) of the NSLP
• SSI

T-Mobile’s Project 10Million initiative offers a free hotspot with an annual cap of 200GB of data for five years to eligible K-12 students. There are no fees or annual recertifications. This is a great way for students to stay connected and complete any online homework assignments.

You child can qualify through Project10Million if they participate in one of the following programs or meet the following criteria:

• Community Eligibility Provision (CEP)
• Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR)
• Head Start
• Medicaid
• NSLP, SNAP, Temporal Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
• Foster youth, migrant, homeless, or runaway youth

Verizon Forward offers its Fios or 5G Home Internet plan at a discounted rate as low as $20 monthly, combined with the $10 autopay and $9.25 Lifeline discounts. Verizon 5G Home Internet customers also need a postpaid mobile unlimited plan with 5G Ultra Wideband to qualify. See if you're eligible with this breakdown of Verizon's low-income services.

You can apply the Verizon Forward discount to any 5G Home Internet plan or Fios plan. Plans can cost as low as $20 monthly, with the cheapest 5G Home Internet plan delivering up to 100Mbps download speeds, and the cheapest Fios plan delivering 300Mbps symmetrical speeds. Both plans include a router and unlimited data. There is also a $99 setup charge.

To be eligible for Verizon Forward, a member of your household needs to meet one of the following criteria:

• Receive Federal Pell Grant in the current award year
• Have household income 135% or less of the Federal Poverty Guidelines
• Participate in Medicaid
• Participate in SNAP or WIC
• Participate in New York state benefit programs

Xfinity offers affordable internet plans for low-income households through its Internet Essentials program. Alongside its internet plans, the program also includes discounts on laptops and free resources to enhance your internet literacy.

The Xfinity Internet Essentials plan costs $14.95 monthly for up to 75Mbps. If you want more speed, you can sign up for the Xfinity Internet Essentials Plus plan, which costs $29.95 monthly for up to 100Mbps. Both plans are contract-free and include unlimited data, an optional gateway lease, and free self-installation (or you can pay $39.99 for a professional technician). 

To be eligible for Xfinity Internet Essentials, you can’t have been an Xfinity Internet customer within the last 90 days or have any debt owed with any Comcast Account. A member of your household also needs to receive one of the following benefits:

• Federal Pell Grant in the current award year
• Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
• Medicaid
• NSLP, SNAP, SSI, or WIC
• Public housing assistance
• TANF
• Tribal assistance
• VA Pension

Not all customers may qualify for the above programs, so if you’re in that boat, there are still plenty of options for cheap and affordable internet.

The best budget option to get is T-Mobile 5G Home Internet. It’s easy to set up, available throughout the country, and can cost as little as $35 a month when you bundle it with a T-Mobile voice plan.

Other cheap options include Starry, Frontier, and Kinetic. These providers offer plans from $15 to $30 monthly but have limited availability. 

Internet service providers are notorious for increasing rates, so even if you see an ad for a “price-lock guarantee,” there’s usually a clause buried in the fine print that means you may still experience a price change down the road.

We sifted through all the plan details of every major internet service provider and found the following options that have price locks for at least two years. Make sure to read into the specifics so you know what to expect when you sign up.