Affordable Connectivity Program: Xfinity Internet

Xfinity, a brand of Comcast, serves nearly 30 million customers in 40 states throughout the United States, many of which are eligible to receive discounts on their broadband internet connectivity service through the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP).

As a whole, customers of Xfinity Internet can receive a discount of $30 every month through the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) for the next two years. While those households residing on Tribal lands can receive subsidies of $75 per month, over the same time period.

We explain how you, as an Xfinity Internet customer, can use the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) to get internet service for free or lower your monthly bill. Additionally, we detail how you can apply, in just two steps, and identify who qualifies for the ACP program.

What is the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) for Xfinity?

The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is a U.S. government program which provides low-income customers, such as those of Xfinity Internet, with a subsidy on their monthly internet service. Specifically, eligible households using Xfinity Internet could receive the following benefits:

• Discount of up to $30 per month on your Xfinity Internet service
• Discount of up to $75 per month on your Xfinity Internet service, if your household is on qualifying Tribal lands

Xfinity Internet Essentials Plus – Internet Service for Free

Xfinity, a brand of Comcast, offers a new tier of service, known as Internet Essentials Plus, under the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which provides eligible households download speeds of 100 megabits per second (Mbps) and upload speeds of 20 Mbps, for $29.95 per month. At 100 Mbps download speeds, your internet connection will be fast enough for a typical family of 4 to video conference, stream movies, or TV shows.

As an Xfinity Internet customer enrolled in the Affordable Connectivity Program, you can subscribe to this $29.95 per month offering and have a $30 monthly discount automatically applied toward your bill, meaning you will effectively receive service for free, until the program ends. In terms of timing, once you receive confirmation of your enrollment, you will most commonly see the Affordable Connectivity Program credit applied to your very next bill.

Under the Affordable Connectivity Program, Xfinity’s Internet Essentials Plus service includes a modem, access to millions of Wi-Fi hotspots, and unlimited data at no additional charge. Also, it is worth noting that you will be responsible for charges over $30 per month and that the promotion price is estimated to last for a period of 2 years. Importantly, enrolled customers will be notified at least 30 days before the program ends.

Other Xfinity Internet Plans – Lower Your Bill

The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) benefit can be applied to most existing Xfinity Internet plans, at any time, while the program is ongoing. For example, this means that if you are an eligible household paying $59.99 per month, on a plan with higher speeds (e.g., 400 Mbps download), then you can still use the $30 monthly credit to lower your bill payment to be only $29.99 per month.

Additionally, the credit can be applied to Xfinity Internet, as a standalone broadband service, or to a bundle of services including Xfinity Internet, Internet Essentials, leased Internet equipment, 30-day refills for Xfinity Prepaid Internet service, and Xfinity Mobile data usage & service fees. For example, if you have both Xfinity Internet and Xfinity Mobile services, the Affordable Connectivity Program benefit will first be applied to the Internet portion of your bill. Any remaining Affordable Connectivity Program benefit will be applied to your Mobile service.

However, the Affordable Connectivity Program credit cannot be used for unlimited Internet data plans, Internet data overage charges, 7-day refills or a purchase of the modem for Xfinity Prepaid Internet service, as well as Xfinity Mobile device payments, Xfinity Mobile Protection Plan, taxes, and fees. Also, the ACP credit cannot be applied to products or equipment including Xfinity TV, Xfinity Voice, and Xfinity Home.

Connected Devices

The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) also offers a one-time discount of up to $100 for connected devices like a laptop, tablet, or desktop computer, with a co-payment of more than $10 but less than $50. Notably, a household can only buy one of these discounted devices. Additionally, there is no discount on smartphones, while the connected device must be Wi-Fi enabled and support video conferencing.

Unfortunately, per the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) website at fcc.gov/affordable-connectivity-program-providers, Xfinity, which is part of Comcast, is not one of the providers offering discounted connected devices. Separately, the company notes on its website that “at this time, we are not participating in the device subsidy program associated with ACP”.

How to Apply for Xfinity’s Affordable Connectivity Program

Current Xfinity Internet customers should follow these two steps to receive their Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) benefit:

• Step 1: apply to receive a monthly credit with the Affordable Connectivity Program through the National Verifier at affordableconnectivity.gov or directly through the form by clicking here
• Step 2: complete Xfinity’s online ACP enrollment form at xfinity.com/buy/plan/internet/ebb to receive your credit. For this step, you will need the application ID you received from the National Verifier (Step 1) when you were approved

Once you complete Step 2, Xfinity states that you should expect to hear a status update on your application within 48 hours of applying for the Affordable Connectivity Program.

Prepaid Internet Customers

For Xfinity Prepaid Internet customers, once you have completed Step 1 from above, and have received your application ID from the National Verifier, then call 844-963-0288 to enroll in the Affordable Connectivity Program through Xfinity. Eligible customers will have their Affordable Connectivity Program credit applied to their Xfinity Prepaid Internet service bill.

Xfinity Mobile Customers that Do Not Have Xfinity Internet

For Xfinity Mobile customers that do not have Xfinity Internet, once you have completed Step 1 from above, and have received your application ID from the National Verifier, then call 844-389-4681 to enroll in the Affordable Connectivity Program through Xfinity. Eligible customers will have their Affordable Connectivity Program credit applied to their Xfinity Mobile service bill.

Who Qualifies for Xfinity’s Affordable Connectivity Program?

Xfinity Internet households are eligible for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) if one member of the household meets any one of the following criteria:

1) Household Income

If your household income is at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. This means that, based on your household size (left column), your household income must be below the following (right columns):

Federal (HHS) Poverty Guidelines at 200%

Household Size	48 Contiguous States	Alaska	Hawaii
1	$27,180	$33,980	$31,260
2	$36,620	$45,780	$42,120
3	$46,060	$57,580	$52,980
4	$55,500	$69,380	$63,840
5	$64,940	$81,180	$74,700
6	$74,380	$92,980	$85,560
7	$83,820	$104,780	$96,420
8	$93,260	$116,580	$107,280
For each additional person, add:	$9,440	$11,800	$10,860

2) Federal Assistance Programs

If you receive benefits under any of the following federal assistance programs:

• Lifeline program
• Medicaid
• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as Food Stamps
• Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
• Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
• Federal Public Housing Assistance (FPHA)
• Veterans and Survivors Pension Benefit
• Free and Reduced-Price School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program, including at U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) schools
• Federal Pell Grant (received in the current award year)

3) Internet Service Provider (ISP) Criteria

If you meet the eligibility criteria for one of Xfinity’s existing low-income internet programs, such as Internet Essentials.

4) Tribal Assistance Programs

If a household is located on Tribal lands, it is eligible if at least one person in the household participates in Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance, Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (Tribal TANF), Head Start, or the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations.

Background on the Affordable Connectivity Program

The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is run by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and it replaced the previous U.S. government initiative, known as the Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) Program. In terms of funding, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act has supported the Affordable Connectivity Program with $14.2 billion.

On May 9, 2022, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris announced that they had secured commitments from 20 internet service providers (ISPs), including Xfinity (Comcast), to lower high-speed internet costs for U.S. consumers.

Enrollment and Claims – Affordable Connectivity Program

According to the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC), there are over 12.6 million households across the United States who have enrolled in the Affordable Connectivity Program. Furthermore, experts estimate that 48 million households, or ~40% of households in the country, qualify for the Affordable Connectivity Program. Therefore, to-date only 26% of qualifying households in the United States are using the benefits of the Affordable Connectivity Program.