Millions of households that rely on SNAP or Medicaid now have one federal program left to lower their phone or internet bills: Lifeline, which provides a $9.25 monthly discount. That figure matters more than it used to, because the larger Affordable Connectivity Program has ended, leaving Lifeline as the primary federal broadband subsidy still operating. For families already stretched thin, the gap between the old benefit and the current one raises a practical question: how many eligible households actually know about the discount, and how easy is it to claim?
Why the $9.25 Lifeline discount carries more weight after ACP’s end
The Affordable Connectivity Program once offered up to $30 per month toward internet service for qualifying households. Its termination, confirmed by the Congressional Research Service, removed the largest broadband affordability tool Congress had created in recent years. What remains is Lifeline, a program that predates ACP by decades but delivers a far smaller subsidy.
Federal rules set the Lifeline support amount at $9.25 per month, codified under 47 CFR 54.403. That discount can be applied to either a phone plan or an internet plan, but not both at once. Households enrolled in SNAP, Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income, Federal Public Housing Assistance, or the Veterans Pension and Survivors Benefit program all qualify. The eligibility list is spelled out in 47 CFR 54.409, which names each assistance program that triggers automatic qualification.
One open question is whether states that share enrollment data between their benefits agencies and the Lifeline verification system will see higher sign-up rates than states where applicants must file a separate form. Automatic enrollment through linked eligibility databases could reduce friction for SNAP and Medicaid recipients who already proved their income status. States that keep those systems separate force households to duplicate paperwork, which historically depresses take-up in federal benefit programs. No public dataset yet tracks state-level Lifeline enrollment trends in the months since ACP wound down, so the difference between those two approaches has not been measured.
Federal sources confirming Lifeline eligibility and the $9.25 amount
Two independent federal sources corroborate the basic terms of the benefit. The Social Security Administration has issued guidance noting that eligible consumers can receive a $9.25 monthly discount on qualifying phone or internet service and explicitly lists SNAP and Medicaid among the pathways that establish eligibility. That confirmation matters for beneficiaries who may trust information coming directly from the agency that manages their disability or retirement payments.
The Congressional Research Service, in its examination of options after ACP’s closure, likewise identifies Medicaid and SNAP as programs that establish Lifeline eligibility and cites the same $9.25 figure. By pointing to the same statutory and regulatory provisions, CRS effectively underlines that Lifeline is not a temporary pilot but a long-standing component of federal universal service policy, even if its dollar amount has not kept pace with rising broadband prices.
The Federal Communications Commission’s consumer materials echo this structure. The FCC explains that only one Lifeline discount is allowed per household, defined as people living together who share income and expenses, and that the subsidy can be applied to either voice or broadband service but not stacked across multiple lines. Providers that choose to participate in Lifeline receive the $9.25 support from the Universal Service Fund and are required to pass the full amount through to the customer as a bill reduction.
Gaps in enrollment data and what households should do first
Even as federal agencies align on the core rules, less is known about how many eligible households are actually enrolled. Publicly available statistics tend to lag, and they do not yet capture how families have adjusted after ACP payments stopped. Analysts are watching for signs that some former ACP participants have migrated into Lifeline, but without recent, disaggregated figures, it is difficult to see whether awareness campaigns are reaching SNAP and Medicaid recipients who qualify automatically.
That uncertainty raises the stakes for individual households to take the first step themselves. For anyone already using a means-tested benefit, the most direct route is to check eligibility through the National Verifier, which can be accessed via the FCC’s application portal at getinternet.gov. Applicants are typically asked to provide basic identifying information and upload proof of participation in a qualifying program, such as a SNAP or Medicaid award letter, a benefits card, or an official notice from a state agency.
Once the National Verifier confirms eligibility, the next step is to choose a participating phone or internet provider and request that the Lifeline discount be applied to a specific service. Some carriers allow customers to complete this process online or over the phone, while others may require a visit to a retail location. In all cases, households should keep copies of their approval notice and verify that the $9.25 credit appears on subsequent bills.
For families who lost ACP support and now face higher monthly charges, Lifeline will not fully replace the gap. But for those on tight budgets, a stable $9.25 reduction can still mean keeping a mobile line active for work shifts, maintaining a connection for school assignments, or preserving access to telehealth portals. Until Congress creates a broader replacement for ACP or increases the Lifeline benefit, the program remains the last nationwide, income-based discount on connectivity-and one that many eligible households may still not know they can claim.
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