Assistance paying for internet is now available, and a new toolkit can help you to spread the word to the people you serve.

People who have difficulty paying for internet during the pandemic can now apply for the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program (EBBP), which provides $50-$75 per month for internet costs.

The Federal Communications Commission is offering this temporary program, which also provides up to $100 for a one-time discount to buy a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers. The consumer must pay $10 to $50 toward the cost of the device.

Households that have at least one member who is eligible for Lifeline, a federal program that offers phone and internet discounts, qualify for the EBBP. See recent Tech Time articles to learn about additional ways households can be eligible for EBBP and how to help older adults apply for Lifeline.

Toolkit

To help older adults learn about this important benefit, please use the Emergency Broadband Benefit Outreach Toolkit.

The toolkit includes a fact sheet, flyers and handouts, a brief newsletter article, social media posts, a press release, an infographic, and more. Most materials are available in English and Spanish. Some are available in Arabic, Amharic, Burmese, Chinese (Traditional), French, Haitian Creole, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Somali, Tagalog, and Vietnamese.

If you would like to use your organization’s branding, you may co-brand these templates.

Broadband access can connect older adults to friends and family, preventing social isolation, as well as to important telehealth appointments.

Join our Free Virtual Summit June 8-10, 2021

For more invaluable learnings from LeadingAge CAST, register for the Collaborative Care & Health IT Innovations Summit, taking place virtually June 8-10, 2021.

LeadingAge CAST convenes the summit to address how technology is connecting the health care ecosystem in the era of health and payment reforms. Sessions and keynotes will address innovative care delivery and payment models enabled by technology, including the broader health IT, interoperability, and health information exchange modalities. 

Be sure to catch the following keynote and session: 

“Pandemic As Propellant: How COVID-19 Made Technology The New Toilet Paper For Younger & Older Consumers,” by Joe Coughlin, Ph.D., Founder & Director, MIT AgeLab at MIT, on June 8 at 1 p.m.

“Panel VI: Innovative Uses of Telehealth During Crises,” to be held June 9 at 4 p.m., will share best practices and lessons learned from providers who ramped up their telehealth implementations and social engagement technologies during the pandemic. This session shows the ways that an internet connection can contribute to positive health outcomes for older adults.

After a year of struggling with COVID, many providers have shared that their budgets will not allow them to attend this year’s Collaborative Care & Health IT Innovations Summit. LeadingAge is now offering free registration to all care providers across the collaborative care continuum, to enable everyone to come together, learn, share, and collaborate.

Register for free today!