The Rio Grande Council of Governments is seeking to identify families with school age children that could be eligible to receive equipment and service from the Starlink prgram.
They are focusing on households that are without broadband infrastructure and are low income, with a priority to be given to those with kids that miss out on school due to lack of connectivity at home.
They intend to get funding for equipment and 1 year of service.
As a starting point for selecting the 30 from the 5 counties in the area to participate in this pilot, they are thinking of mirroring the eligibility requirements of the Affordable Connectivity Program:
Who Is Eligible for the Affordable Connectivity Program?
A household is eligible for the Affordable Connectivity Program if the household income is at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, or if a member of the household meets at least one of the criteria below:
- Received a Federal Pell Grant during the current award year;
- Meets the eligibility criteria for a participating provider's existing low-income internet program;
- Participates in one of these assistance programs:
- Free and Reduced-Price School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program, including at U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Community Eligibility Provision schools.
- SNAP
- Medicaid
- Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program (Section 8 Vouchers)
- Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA)/202/811
- Public Housing
- Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
- WIC
- Veterans Pension or Survivor Benefits
- or Lifeline;
- Participates in one of these assistance programs and lives on Qualifying Tribal lands:
- Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance
- Tribal TANF
- Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations
- Tribal Head Start (income based)
- Affordable Housing Programs for American Indians, Alaska Natives or Native Hawaiians
If you believe you are eligible and are interested in applying for this service, please come by the FDISD administration building and provide the following information:
Name
Home Address
Phone and/or Email
You may also call the superintendent's office at 432-426-4440 for more information, or to submit your information if you are interested in participating.