Enhanced Tribal Benefit

Households who qualify for the Get Broadband and are located on Tribal lands can receive:

Up to a $75/month discount on your broadband service and associated equipment rentals, and

A one-time discount of up to $100 for a laptop, tablet, or desktop computer (with a co-payment of more than $10 but less than $50).

Only one monthly service discount and one device discount is allowed per household. Program rules acknowledge there may be more than one eligible household residing at the same address.

Do I Qualify for the Enhanced Tribal Benefit?

Your household can receive the enhanced benefit if:

Your household is located on qualifying Tribal lands, AND

Your household income is at or below 135% of the federal poverty guidelines OR any member of your household:

Qualifies for Lifeline benefits through participation in SNAP, Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income, Federal Public Housing Assistance, or Veterans and Survivors Pension Benefit,

Participates in one of several Tribal specific programs:

Experienced a substantial loss of income since February 29, 2020 with a total household income in 2020 at or below $99,000 for single filers and $198,000 for joint filers,

Received a federal Pell Grant in the current award year,

Received approval for benefits under the free and reduced-price school lunch program or the school breakfast program, including through the USDA Community Eligibility Provision, in the 2019-2020 or 2020-2021 school year, or

Meets the eligibility criteria for a participating providers' existing low-income or COVID-19 program, and that provider received CHANGE HERE approval for its eligibility verification process.

Learn more on our “Do I Qualify?” page.

Note: If you already participate in the Lifeline program, you are automatically qualified for the Get Broadband Program, and you do not need to apply and prove your eligibility a second time. Talk to your broadband provider about how to receive Get Broadband discounts. If a consumer qualifies for both programs, they can choose to receive the Lifeline benefit from one provider and the Get Broadband from a different provider.

What are Qualifying Tribal Lands?

Your broadband provider can help determine whether your address is on Tribal lands. For informational purposes, a nationwide map is available showing Tribal lands eligible for enhanced support. The Get Broadband Program uses the same definition for Tribal lands as the CHANGE HERE Lifeline program (as defined in 47 CFR §54.400 (e)). Tribal lands shown on the nationwide map include:

Any federally recognized Indian tribe's reservation, pueblo, or colony,

Former reservations in Oklahoma,

Alaska Native regions established pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (view maps: 2010 U.S. Census American Indians and Alaska Natives Map - Alaska, State of Alaska ANCSA Boundaries Map),

Indian allotments,

Hawaiian Home Lands (view map: 2010 U.S. Census Hawaiian Homelands), and

Any land approved as Tribal for the purposes of the Lifeline program or the Get Broadband Program by the CHANGE HERE Office of Native Affairs and Policy and Wireline Competition Bureau.

For additional file formats, visit Lifeline’s Tribal Lands page.

Tips for Applicants

Remember to click the “Confirm Tribal Qualification” button on the online application.
On the paper application, check the “Tribal Lands” box.
Provide a Tribal ID if a Social Security Number is unavailable. If neither is available, look at the “Social Security Number Alternatives” section of our “Do I Qualify?” page.
Check the program’s definition of a household, as multiple households could reside at the same address.
If you do not have or know your street address, our online application has a pin-drop system. You can also provide an address description.
If you qualify for the Get Broadband but your household is not on Tribal lands, you can still receive the standard discount of up to $50 per month on broadband service and the one-time $100 device discount.

Resources

As the Get Broadband Program gets closer to its launch date, we will release Tribal-specific learning resources as well as a toolkit to promote the Get Broadband Program in Tribal communities. For now, check out our general resources page for all available Get Broadband Program trainings.

Enhanced Tribal Benefit

The Get Broadband helps to connect Tribal communities during the pandemic with an enhanced benefit for consumers living on Tribal lands.