Internet Basics: A slightly different inexpensive internet plan for low-income Americans
In these difficult economic times with so many people unemployed or employed only part time when they need fulltime jobs, CenturyLink Internet Basics is exactly what so many families and individuals need to help them search for and apply for jobs, to follow up on job applications, to find medical care and communicate with their doctors, to help their kids with their homework, and to help them with so many other tasks that can only be done on the internet.
If CenturyLink offers high-speed DSL internet service in your area, their Internet Basics 1.5 Mbps program for low income Americans is an excellent option for cheap broadband service.
First of all, let’s be clear that there are a few differences between the Internet Basics program and the program offered by the companies participating in the nationwide Connect to Compete program.
First, let’s cover the similarities:
Both programs offer high-speed Internet for just $9.95 a month. Both programs offer a personal computer for just $150. But, Internet Basics offers free introductory computer education classes while Connect to Compete customers pay a small $1 fee per class.
The Internet Basics computer also comes with a 30-day money-back satisfaction guarantee, 24/7 technical support, plus parental controls. You’ll even get your own customizable CenturyLink home page. So far, there’s no word on whether the Connect the Compete program offers these extras.
How to Qualify for Internet Basics
Now let’s get to the primary difference between the two programs: How to qualify.
First of all, it’s important to understand that the members of the Connect to Compete alliance are all cable television companies, but CenturyLink is primarily a telephone company that also offers television through DirecTV, a separate company.
CenturyLink agreed to offer the Internet Basic plan so that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) would approve its 2011 purchase of Qwest Communications, another telephone company.
As a result of being a telephone company, CenturyLink’s Internet Basics program follows rules set up for another quasi-governmental program called Lifeline Assistance which offers discounted landline phone service and free government cell phones (link it) to the financially disadvantaged. The qualification guidelines for the two programs are identical.
In short, you probably qualify for the Internet Basics program if:
- (1) You also participate in other governmental assistance programs such as food stamps (SNAP), public housing assistance, Medicaid, Section 8 housing, Supplemental Security Income, various Home Energy Assistance Programs, National School Lunch and other programs. (Each state has it’s own programs list.)
Or…
- (2) Your household income is at or below 135% to 150% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. (Note: It’s 135% in all states except Arizona, Florida, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, Ohio, Rhode Island and Texas, where it’s 150%.
In addition, Internet Basics is also available to families that qualify for the federal school-lunch program.
Contact Information
CenturyLink:
www.centurylink.com:
866-642-0444
Internet Basics Program:
www.centurylink.com/home/internetbasics/
866-642-0444
CenturyLink profile:
Profile page: CenturyLink internet
CenturyLink has agreed to offer the program for at least five years. There’s no guarantee that the program will continue beyond that timeframe, so we recommend that you apply as soon as possible to take advantage of this offer for as long as you possibly can.
Internet Basics is available in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
{ 55 comments… read them below or add one }
I just graduated this pass year and I can not a job . My story is that I both of my children are in college boy age 25 and a daughter 32 and they are all ways coming over to use the dail-up service we have and I am only living with friends and I do recieve food stamps. I was really looking for a job when I was diagnosed with fibermylga. So, I am now in the process of waiting for SSI or regular Social Security. I could use the high speed service, if I do quifiy. I wish to tell you thank you now.
Laural Bradshaw
Just a wild guess, but if you improved your English skills you’d probably be more marketable.
To see if you qualify, or to apply, follow the directions & link in the article. Leaving a message here won’t help.
Here’s where to get the PDF of the application for your state:
http://www.centurylink.com/home/internetbasics/
MKEGAL Just a wild guess, but, if you were not so busy critiquing others English skills you might be a happier and more helpful individual. Just a wild guess mind you.
What Laural Bradshaw wrote is a prime example of what our nation has become. It is not stated what or where she graduated from but this a fail by GED standards much less any college level. Piss poor grammar, spelling and lack of structure. People like her feel entitled to things whereas they deserve to function as a doorstop. These are the people that our hard earned tax dollars go to support. I can understand being dealt a bad hand but what separates the real from the fakes are the ones that make something of themselves.
You whine that you can’t follow the damn directions when an article is a guideline. You want it handed to you on a silver platter, with a maid to spoon feed it to you. There are medical students that go to campus, Starbucks, and the library to use high speed Internet. Free. These same students work their asses off and sleep in the classrooms when Superstorm Sandy knocks out their power. They don’t gripe to their proffessor that they didn’t have a hot shower therefor they want an extension on their finals. Yet these students find a way to make it happen. It isn’t because they are grossly intelligent (some are) but they have drive and ambition to succeed where the others flounder. Bradshaw is snap shot of the nation – I can’t get no job, I be very edukated.
You should be ashamed of your post Bradshaw.
You know, English is often a confusing language. American English makes me down right nauseated. I am so sorry your grace. That we lowly peasants, who attended only the goverment sponcered secondary schools, are unable to please you with our gramer. Dear god, move out of the country you hateful pig.
Ms. Laurel Bradshaw, congratulations on your recent graduation, it is not easy to go back to school when you have adult children, everything has changed so much since you were last there, I know. You have proven your perseverance already, the right job will not be far away.
Such shameful attacks on someone who has put in the effort to go back to school as an adult is disgraceful, and you should be ashamed of yourselves!! Ms. Bradshaw has adult children in college, is living with friends, so is not a burden on the system. She has a very debilitating and painful condition that attacks all of the nervous systems in the body. It is highly probable that she also has very stiff fingers, and typing is painful for her. So what if she makes a few typos? Good grief! who are you to judge? This is NOT an English grammar classroom! Get over yourselves and stop being so pompous.
I have impeccable English. I grew up in England. I was educated by nuns with a ferocious penchant for correct spelling and grammar. I am a Scrabble maven and proud of it. Despite all this, I also sometimes make typos that I do not spot until after I press ‘submit’, despite careful proof reading.
I am also an American Citizen who used to work three jobs. I used to also be a foster parent, caring for some very disturbed kids; who through no fault of their own, had been neglected and moved through the system so much that their education had constantly been interrupted and suffered.
Now at only fifty years of age, I also have the misfortune to find myself disabled and unable to work, and am totally broke and in debt from waiting for my share of SSDI that I have paid into for so many years. It is something that I know I should not be ashamed of, but thanks to the attitude of several such as those above, I am.
I rarely leave the house because I cannot afford the gas to drive into town. Internet is my only contact with people, and it keeps my sanity. Unfortunately, it is expensive, and many of these options do not seem available in Vermont.
It is a sad reflection on this society that people are so quick to be so nasty instead of reaching out a helping hand. Try just greeting a stranger with a smile, or helping an elderly person with something heavy. You will be amazed at how good you will feel after their gratitude. I may be on food stamps, but I can still search through the newspaper dumpster at the recycling center for the coupon inserts, get terrific deals, even on items I don’t use, and donate them to the food shelf.
Hold your head up high Ms. Laurel Bradshaw! Thanking this site in advance of whether of not you are able to qualify for cheap internet, shows the utmost class! Do not let the likes of “Bandit” and “MKEgal”, who don’t even have the gumption to leave their real names, bring you down. they are the ones who should be ashamed of themselves, not you!
I live with friends now, so I would not become homeless. I just need to reach out to places for help.
Thank you, Laural Bradshaw
I DONT SEE HOW TO APPLY
http://www.cheapinternet.com/internet-service-providers/centurylink
i dont understand if we need discounted internet and free cell phone how can we afford the $150 for a computer?
I live in rhode island, my daughter just received her free cell. Can she buy a computer for $150? Thank you
The two programs are separate.
Century Link makes you sign a 5 yr contract with a min of 2 yrs if you opt to get the computer as well, with no service quality guarntees!
Price goes up & equiptment charges incur after 1st yr. So you are unable to cancel agreements with out incurring an excess of fees, that by the way would be far less in the long-hall to save your cash and buy a computer from a company far more intersted in Customer Service & Satisfaction!
I currently have internet service with AT&T, will I qualify for service from Century Link?
I asked a question earlier, but I did not recieve a reply. I am really interested in this program.
Read the article, follow the links provided there & again in the comments section. The author of the article can’t tell you if you qualify or not.
@ MKEgal, I think you and I, are the only ones that read the article, I think you have wasted your time sending them the link. People PLEASE READ ARTICLE!!!!
how do the 150 for the computer works and the free cell phone to
Please restate your question.
How to apply? Do you need to buy compter too? Just got life line phone
Read the article on this page, please.
I am interested in the Internet Basics program, and life line cell phone.
Thank you in advance for your assistance.
B. Blair
Follow the instructions on this page please.
I don’t get this. In California at least, if you sign up for $9.95 ($10 ??, I’m rounding….) with this plan, you have to lease a modem (relatively slow) which is “free” for the first year and $7.49 plus tax thereafter. If you’re wireless, which most people are, you’ll need a router (faster, depending on your location), which is NOT free for the first year and will cost $8.49 plus tax. Either way, its getting close to the $20 connection plans that are available through almost all commercial cable and phone providers. Offhand, what with tacking on the additional hardware lease cost, it doesn’t seem that the Internet Basics program is much more than a ploy. I haven’t checked the other programs carefully yet, but if the FTC allowed this one, I would read the remaining plans carefully.
Note from Admin: We deleted your comments since you wrote in all caps.
I am a single mom, working part time and about to go to school in August. My monthly bills are more than my budget and I need internet for school. My internet, cable and phone my bill is about $150 a month. If anyone knows how to sign up for this program please get in touch with me.
Please follow the instructions on the page above.
Yes kweimer, this smells like ….. And you forgot the early termination fee which is $200.00. That being said, I’m pretty sure at&t and/or others offer something similar with no cancellation fee.
I would like to receive low income internet services and also get you pc computer if possible. Thanks!
Please read this page.
I have been diagnosed with cancer and am unable to work. I have been struggling to get SSI and disability and the case is being worked on. I need internet that’s not $30 a month.
My bf supports his 3 kids making 8$per hr..his kids are on free lunch and he recieves snap..how can we do this..we can’t afford internet but 10$ is reasonable please help.
http://www.cheapinternet.com/low-income-internet/internet-essentials
I tried to get my son the internet and a computer but couldn’t because wasn’t, in my area I,m so disappointed I,m a single mom and need the help
Sorry, this is not cheap broadband or even broadband at all. Phone companies do not offer broadband. They offer dial-up. It would be a nice deal if this were a real offer, but so far it is all a bunch of garbage and lies.
John, you need to educate yourself before posting. Phone companies offer DSL, which is high-speed broadband. If you feel everything is a lie from these companies, contact the FCC. Of course, they are the ones who set up the programs so I doubt they will be receptive.
John, depending on where you live, you could be in a dial-up only area for Internet sevice. That would mean you live in a very rural area. Otherwse, what the administrator said is true. DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) is a broadband service offering speeds far in excess of dial-up. Also, unlike dial-up service, DSL also offers as both an Internet connection and a landline phone service.
I don’t have a landline phone – I have Magic Jack, which uses my internet connection.
How would the internet work in my case? I am not wireless and have no desire to be.
OK, that’s enough. You don’t even know what you’re talking about. I have DSL (ever heard of that? it is 1.5 mpb NOT “dial up”) and I have it through CenturyLink along with my landline phone service. Cable companies have tried to convince people that only they have “blindingly fast 1.5-3.0 mbp broad band” and “phone companies only have dial-up” but those are just advertising LIES every heard of those? I thought not. I can even stream movies and TV shows on what I have on CenturyLink. So get off your high horse and rationally check things out and know what you are talking about before you parrot any more trash to confuse the poor people trying to see how they can keep up in a rapidly changing digital world that is leaving them behind. Just FYI, I am a retired 72 year old low income senior who came here to see if I can lower my costs and can’t believe the harassment of the poor going on at this website. And yes, I can spell and type, but in 1995 when I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, I could hardly spell my own name correctly so everyone shut up about Laural Bradshaw’s comment. She can probably hardly stand to sit with her arms outstretched to type. And your brain can be so fogged people think you are mentally ill. It gets better but the first crash is pure hell.
Inb4: magicjack for the internet I’m TRYING TO GET. It is the only phone I can afford.
How can I pay extra for phone line I Don’t Need when I apply for this program BECAUSE I HAVE NO MONEY LEFT OVER. I work odd jobs whenever I can with rod through femur and hip, Why is century make me pay extra for crud I don’t want! They say they have to do it this way, but really they have set it up in a way to trap people on purpose. If it made more money that way for them then I wouldn’t need to bundle by end of week.
Sounds like Century Link did this for 4-5 years just to pacify the gov. and get permission to buy our wonderful old Qwest phone service. My DSL has gotten much slower since that sale. You’ll probably do better with the Cable offers, if they don’t make you also buy at least the basic Cable service.
Truth is, the three Mega-Corporations that own ALL of the media and are buying up all the land-line companies are only in it for the money. They have no compassion and no community or national spirit so don’t expect any quarter from them. However, this attempt by the government to include people who are being by-passed by the digital age, especially students. If it doesn’t work well, it’s because they allowed the Corporations too much choice and didn’t add enough government regulation to the package. The FCC, just like the FDA, is a gov. watchdog committee full of former Corporate officers who are there to be sure the program funnels the funds from the public treasury to private corporate pockets with the least cost to them. How’s that privatization working for the citizens?
Unbelievable. I do not see myself as a genius, but if some of you took the extra three minutes that it takes to actually read the words that are in the article instead of looking at the pictures, then going straight to the “comments” section you would have a lot less stress and more knowledge in your lives. I fail to see how this is difficult to grasp. Good luck out in the big bad world if you cannot take the time to read something instead of relying solely on someone else to work it out for you.
I was wondering when this article was posted. It also said they may only offer this for 5 years, so I was wondering if it was still running.
It was written about a year ago and yes it is still running.
I badly need cheap internet service, I live on very low income, I have proof. I cannot keep Time warner much longer, now, they are even charging for the modem $4.00 extra dollars. I juts learned about this program today, hope I can get it.
I feel like I’ve been royally screwed by Verizon. I signed up for a 4GLite device and was told the Internet service would cost me $50 per month for DSL. Well, today, I received an email from them saying that I’m over my usage limit and they want to charge me an additional $200 for this Month. First of all, when I signed up with them, they never told me there was a limit to my Internet usage per month. Right now I can’t afford this $200 they tacked onto my regular bill, so, I’m going to have to burn them on it. Luckily, I didn’t sign up for auto pay for billing, so, they can’t take it out of my account. There isn’t enough money in there to cover it anyway. Well, I’m going to either sign up for this cheaper service, or rely on free “Hot-Spots” in public to get Internet. Verizon Sucks!!!
Century Link is full of it. Yes they do offer the program but they make it almost imposable to get. I met all their qualifications, but they told me that I had to pay a deposit, and install a second phone line which was going to cost $99 on top of the reg. deposit they had already given me. Century Link is only in it for themselves.
I’d just like to say that these programs are a God send for people that cannot afford high speed internet in general. I’m on dial-up now, and it’s driving me crazy! I’m on SSI, Sec,8, Medicaid, and food stamps. I’m going to give it a shot and see if I qualifly here in NY. Unfortunately, my daughter at the moment is living with her paternal aunt, so, I live all alone with my three cats. I’m pretty computer literate, and I use the computer to pay my bills, rent, communicate with my doctors, family, and friends. I have arthritis in my back and both hips, so, I’m very limited in my mobility, which is why I depend on the computer a great deal. It’s made my life easier where I don’t have to do too much traveling. I’m going to give it a shot and see if I qualify for Internet Basics. I know it probably doesn’t cover NYC, but, what do I have to lose? My work will get done quicker with broadband than on dial-up, so, I’m going to give it a shot. In any event, I submitted my email for updates if I don’t qualify for any of these programs. Thanks for putting the word out on these programs. I really appreciated it very much. Thank you.
I need internet service at home, because, even though it is convenient at times to go to the library, it isn’t always. I am on SSI and foodstamps, and need information on this service. Please contacy me & forward me further info on this.
in need of lowincom internet . would appreciate it very much. thanks,
See our Help page.
i am looking for a cheap internet service. my brother got me an hdtv antenna and i now get about 40 hd channels for free. i have rabbit tv on the computer for movies. im going to get magic jack plus for the phone. my question is … do i have to have a phone line to get dsl? i will be shaving over two hundred dollars a month with the free hdtv and magic jack, but i need to get a cheap internet service which will stream videos well. any suggestions? thanks
some one asked how much it cost me to get the hdtv tv channels. my antenna cost $40 at walmart. the hdtv channels are free. my brother uses an old set of rabbit ears to get his hdtv. that’s a savings of $1495 a year.
majic jack plus costs $70 for the unit. when you install it you get free phone service for one year. it costs $25 dollars to renew each year. that is a savings of over $990 a year.
you have to have a router to use the service.
the rabbit tv unit costs $10 at walmart.
my initial investment will be $121 dollars…….. my savings will be approximately $200 a month. not too bad for a low income retiree.
now if i can find some cheap dsl……hmmmmm.
I just called Centurylink about the 9.95/month internet service they “offer.” They offer this ONLY if you have not had internet service with them for the past 90 days, so you CANNOT use this Internet Basics program they “offer” to reduce your current expenses. I’m in an area where Centurylink is the only provider of phone service and for those living where cable isn’t installed, the only provider for wired internet service as well (it’s DSL). Seems they have put in “requirements” that don’t allow you to actually get this service anyway.
I’m disappointed. I currently pay them 36.99 a month for internet service for what was supposed to be 24.99 a month for life. That 24.99 price ONLY is available if you have bundled internet service with other services they offer. Their web page centurylink.com/internetbasics doesn’t connect to the tabs or the buttons on the page either, so you can just “trust” what the rep says when you call in…
So, Internet Basics that Centurylink agreed to provide so the FTC would allow them to buy out the old phone company here just isn’t available after all…