According to the Kentucky Department of Education, many Kentucky families qualify for a program aimed at increasing access to internet services for school-age children.

A news release said the Affordable Connectivity Program provides enrolled households with up to $30 per month for new or existing Internet service and a one-time discount of up to $100 for purchasing a tablet, laptop or desktop computer. More than 80% of the households in Kentucky qualify.

Eligibility requirements for households include:

Students in the household attend a school participating in the United States Department of Agriculture Community Eligibility Program, in which all students receive free or reduced-price meals. Caldwell County Schools participates in CEP.

The household participates in government assistance such as SNAP, Medicaid or other programs. The household income is within 200% of the federal poverty level. Then, 2023 federal poverty level for a family of four is $30,000. A chart with a full breakdown is available at healthcare.gov.

Households in which anyone receives a federal Lifeline benefit. Lifeline is a federal program that lowers the monthly cost of phone or Internet service.

To enroll, go to AffordableConnectivity.gov to submit an application or print out a mail-in application. Then, contact the preferred participating provider to select a plan and have the discount applied to the bill.