Affordable Internet Services

The programs described below offer ways that a family can fully cover their internet costs during the school year by utilizing the stipend and one of the low-cost internet programs below.

Comcast

Internet Essentials has partnered with Comcast to provide Internet Service at a reduced cost for those families who meets all of the following guidelines:

  1. Be located where Comcast offers Internet service

  2. Have at least one child eligible to participate in the National School Lunch Program

  3. Have not subscribed to Comcast Internet within the last 90 days

  4. Does not have an outstanding Comcast debt that is under one (1) year old

How to Apply:

  1. Apply online at http://www.internetessentials.com/ or call 1-855-8-INTERNET (1-855-846-8376) to request an application.

  2. You can complete your application online, or we will mail or email you an application. Complete and return it, along with supporting eligibility documents, such as proof of enrollment in NSLP from your child's school.

  3. We will notify you by mail about the status of your application after 7-10 days and send you everything you need to get set up.


AT&T

https://www.att.com/shop/internet/access/#/

AT&T is offering low-cost wireline home Internet service to qualifying households:

  • With at least one resident who participates in the U.S. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and

  • With an address in AT&T’s 21-state service area, at which we offer wireline home Internet service, and

  • Without outstanding debt for AT&T fixed Internet service within the last six months or outstanding debt incurred under this program.

Service availability and speed may vary by address. AT&T will assign you the fastest of these speed tiers available* where you live:

    • 10 megabits per second, for $10 per month**

    • 5 megabits per second, for $10 per month

    • 3 megabits per second, for $5 per month

    • 1.5 megabits per second, for $5 per month

    • 768 kilobits per second, for $5 per month

Comporium

The Lifeline Program is a federal program that provides a monthly discount on local home telephone or home broadband service to eligible households. To qualify for the Lifeline discount, you must receive benefits under one of the following programs:

  • Food Stamps

  • Medicaid

  • Social Security Income (SSI)

  • Federal Public Housing Assistance

  • Veteran’s Pension or Survivor’s Pension Benefit

  • Tribal Administered Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TTANF)

  • Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance

  • Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservation

  • Income at or below the Federal Poverty Threshold:

To apply, customers must visit a Comporium retail store to provide proof of eligibility, a valid government issued identification card, and a Social Security card. Only one benefit is available per household; either local home phone service or home broadband service, but not both. Customers living on federally recognized tribal lands are eligible for additional discounts. Certain broadband packages are not eligible for the Lifeline discount, depending upon the speed.

Charter/Spectrum Internet Assist

Download an application for low-cost service to qualifying households:

https://www.spectrum.com/content/dam/spectrum/residential/en/pdfs/spectrum-internet-assist/Nov2019_SIA_Eligibility_Form_FINAL_REV.pdf

To qualify for Spectrum Internet Assist, a member of your household must be a recipient of one of the following programs:

    • The National School Lunch Program (NSLP); free or reduced cost lunch

    • The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) of the NSLP

    • Supplemental Security Income (≥ ages 65 only)

At Spectrum, we believe everyone should have access to reliable, high-speed Internet service. Through the Spectrum Internet Assist program, qualified households can receive:

  • 30 Mbps Internet speed (wireless speeds may vary)

  • Free Internet Modem

  • Free Security Suite

  • No Data Caps

  • Parental Controls

  • No Contracts

HTC Lifeline Program (Horry County)

https://www.htcinc.net/stay-connected/

Lifeline reduces residential landline telephone service by up to $12.75 per month ($153 in savings per year) or residential broadband internet service by up to $9.25 per month ($111 in savings per year)

You may qualify to receive Lifeline if your household income is at or below 135% of the Federal poverty guidelines or you receive any of the following benefits: Federal Public Housing Assistance (FPHA) or Section 8, Medicaid (Healthy Connections), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP-formerly known as Food Stamps), Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Veterans Pension and Survivors Benefit Programs.

For program enrollment, HTC customers must visit an HTC location to present a photo ID and proof of eligibility.

Library Mifi

Do you need assistance with a temporary internet outage?

Many local libraries in South Carolina offer an option to check-out a T-Mobile HotSpot for up to two-weeks. Please reach out to your local library branch or contact Cyber Academy's Resource Coordinator, Mallory White, for assistance in your county of residence.

  • HotSpots connect to available T-Mobile towers

  • Data is unlimited and should not throttle.

  • Up to 5 devices can be connected to the HotSpot.

  • Each HotSpot is assigned a unique SSID number that the user will pick from the list of available Wi-Fi connections to connect to the network.

  • HotSpots are filtered and will block websites that feature frequent or intense graphic violence, sexual content, profanity, and cash gambling

Please note that these available services differ by county of residence. Cyber Academy of South Carolina's Community Resource Coordinator is available to assist you in locating the right option for your area.