West DSM News

City of West Des Moines issued the following announcement on September 20.

The City of West Des Moines has launched a website to help eligible residents find and enroll in discounted or free internet service through the Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB), a temporary Federal Communications Commission (FCC) program to help households struggling to afford internet service.

The $3.2 billion program provides eligible households a discount of up to:

• $50 per month on wireless internet plans and a free phone
• OR $50 per month on wired internet service to the home
• One-time discount of up to $100 for a laptop, tablet or desktop computer. A small fee will be required.

A household is eligible if one member of the household meets at least one of the criteria below:

• Meets federal poverty income guidelines or participates in certain assistance programs, such as SNAP, Medicaid, or the FCC’s Lifeline program;
• Attends a school that participates in the federal lunch program that provides no-cost meals to all students;
• Individuals approved to receive benefits under the free and reduced-price school lunch program or the school breakfast program in the 2019-2020 or 2020-2021 school year;
• Received a Federal Pell Grant during the current award year; or
• Experienced a substantial loss of income through job loss or furlough since February 29, 2020, and the household had a total income in 2020 at or below $99,000 for single filers and $198,000 for joint filers.

To help eligible residents find and enroll in EBB discounts, the City launched https://ebb.wdm.iowa.gov. Those who have a mobile or home internet provider can see a summary of the EBB discount being offered by their current provider. Those without a service provider can enter their home address to see a list of all EBB discounts in the area. Once an EBB service plan is selected, users will be taken to the internet service provider’s website where they will need to complete the National Verifier Lifeline Application form and enroll.

The City and other community stakeholders have been working to ensure that all West Des Moines residents have access to comparable high-speed internet and have the necessary knowledge and skills to use available digital technologies as a means of improving their life circumstances. For more information, contact Christine Gordon at Christine.Gordon@wdm.iowa.gov or 515-273-0640.

Original source can be found here.