JOHNSON CITY – BrightRidge Broadband is participating in the new Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), a $14 billion program created by Congress to assist lower income households with broadband affordability.

ACP offers up to $30 per month towards monthly broadband bills for eligible customers.

“BrightRidge Broadband offers the lowest rates in the region for world leading high-speed internet,” Chief Broadband Officer Stacy Evans said. “This program will help ensure that price is not a barrier to access at a time when we have all learned firsthand the critical importance of fast, reliable broadband in conducting our daily lives.”

According to the latest data from the U.S. Census bureau, the median income in the BrightRidge Broadband service area is $41,682. Under the ACP program, a family of three can earn up to $43,920 annually and still qualify for the credit.

The program is a follow-on to the federal Emergency Broadband Benefit. That pandemic-initiated program is now closed, but existing EBB customers will continue to receive $50 a month through March 1. Upon completion of that benefit, EBB customers can apply for the ACP program.

Any existing or interested customer should visit https://acpbenefit.org to check eligibility and sign up for the program. Once approved, a customer should call BrightRidge Broadband at 423-952-5000 and select option 2 from the automated phone menu to complete enrollment.

Nationally, the ACP is estimated to reach at least 30 percent of US households, lowering the digital divide between those who have internet and those who do not.

Currently, BrightRidge Broadband is available at more than 15,000 locations in Johnson City, Jonesborough and Washington County.

Powered by fiber to the premise, BrightRidge Broadband offers symmetrical services which provide identical upload and download speeds, unlike any other service in Northeast Tennessee. This means customers do not suffer from video playback buffering, dropped video calls or other capacity issues when everyone is home and on the internet.

For more information about BrightRidge Broadband, please visit www.MyBrightRidge.com.