Rural Broadband Carriers to Offer Service Discount to Families Eligible for School Lunch Relief

The National Exchange Carrier Association and the FCC Wireline Bureau collaborated on tariff revisions that allow rural broadband carriers to offer discounts and service upgrades to families with children eligible for free and reduced-price meals under the National School Lunch Program, said an FCC news release Thursday. New customers of rural carriers can receive a 25% discount on certain broadband services, and existing eligible customers may get free faster connections, the release said. “With the continued reliance upon remote learning in many parts of the country, students need connectivity to learn from and communicate with their teachers and classmates,” said Chairman Ajit Pai in the release. The tariff revisions took effect Thursday, and the promotions are in effect through the end of June, the release said. “Each participating carrier will decide how to reach out to its community and to verify customer eligibility.”