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100,000,000 people in the U.S. do not have high-speed Internet at home
Of those, 14 million cannot get high-speed Internet access at home no matter what. They live in areas that are “off the grid”, in rural areas, in places that are fifty miles or more from any sort of urban density, down long roads, with few neighbors where it’s not worth the expense to the operators to put cable down for one or two households - truly in the middle of nowhere. Locales where the only access to the Internet is probably slow and antiquated dial-up service.
Funds available to consumers for Satellite Internet service
This is the newest disadvantaged group recognized by the Federal government. Knowing how important high-speed Internet access is to anyone’s future success, the government has made $100 million available as grants to subsidize the cost of high-speed satellite Internet access for consumers. This is a small part of the multi-billion dollar American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA) that was passed by Congress in 2009 to help stimulate job creation and economic recovery.
Eligibility Requirements for Federal Assistance
Consumers are either eligible or not - based strictly on their location. The eligible census blocks have been targeted based on lack of accessibility to high-speed Internet service. No other measurement is used. The list of what addresses are eligible is controlled by a database created by the Federal government under ARRA auspices and is micro-mapped down to individual households and census blocks. It is possible for one person to be eligible and a person across the street not to be.
Available Programs
The money available has been allocated to only a few companies that can provide satellite Internet service. If a person meets the eligibility requirements, the approved companies will provide the hardware (receiving dish and interior modem) at no cost to the individual. The individual must still pay the monthly service fee. Usually, for the most basic plan, there will no time or term commitment. Essentially, the equipment is being “loaned” to the individual so there is no purchase and no required credit approval. All that is needed is enough available limit on a credit card to pay the first month’s service fee.
A Word of Warning
No one should hesitate to pursue this opportunity and to see if they qualify, as the program is currently limited to the $100 million. This amount is forecast to last only through the very beginning of 2011. There is no guarantee that it will receive supplemental funds and be extended.