Welcome to the broadband assistance programs administered by the Eastern Shore of Virginia Broadband Authority (ESVBA). The goal of the programs is to help residents with installation cost and monthly bill payments. Please read carefully to find a program you are eligible for and submit an application.
Assistance Programs
Special Construction Program
The special construction program is part of the 2022 Virginia Telecommunication Initiative (VATI) awards funded by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). The funds are used to cover special construction charges for new customers in Accomack County and Northampton County. This portion of the grant was designed by the ESVBA and included in the 2022 VATI application to ensure that every resident can request services without worrying about the installation cost. Residents with long drops will benefit from the special construction portion of the grant to cover the installation expenses of fiber-to-the-home. It is intended for low to moderate income households. The program started on June 1st 2022 and will remain open until May 2024, and possibly beyond. Please contact the ESVBA team at (757) 414-0304 or email sales@esvba.com to find out if you are eligible to receive funding. For more information on the program, visit read the 2022 VATI Guidelines
ESVBA Broadband Assistance Program
The Board of Directors of the ESVBA established a financial assistance program to reduce or eliminate the cost for installation of broadband services for residential subscribers. Residents of both Northampton County and Accomack County are eligible to apply. Eligible applicants can get up to $1,000 to offset installation cost. Subscribers who qualify for the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) program are eligible to apply for the broadband assistance program. Please read the eligibility criteria listed under the ACP program. You may be eligible based on income and extraordinary circumstances due to the Covid-19 pandemic. To find out if you are eligible to receive funding, contact the ESVBA team at (757) 414-0304 or email sales@esvba.com
The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP)
The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is a federal benefit program designed to make broadband affordable for needing households. The ACP is a long-term program that replaces the expired Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) program. Under the ACP, there is a $30 discount per month per eligible household. A household is eligible if it meets one or more of the following eligibility criteria:
- The household income is at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines.
- Participation in certain assistance programs, such as SNAP, Medicaid, Federal Public Housing Assistance, SSI, WIC, or Lifeline.
- Participation in the National School Lunch Program or the School Breakfast Program, including through the USDA Community Eligibility Provision.
- Receiving a Federal Pell Grant during the current award year.
- Meeting the eligibility criteria for a participating provider’s existing low-income internet program.
Follow the following steps to submit a request
- Go to ACPBenefit.org to submit an application or print out a mail-in application.
- After receiving an eligibility determination, households can contact ESVBA to request this service discount by calling (757) 414-0304 or emailing sales@esvba.com
- ESVBA will confirm eligibility and qualifying subscription and then apply an automatic monthly credit to the qualifying account.
For more information, visit https://www.fcc.gov/acp
The Line Extension Customer Assistance Program (LECAP)
The Line Extension Customer Assistance Program (LECAP) is designed to support the extension of existing broadband networks to low-to-moderate-income residents. The DHCD has approved the ESVBA’s bid to be an eligible service provider for the LECAP program. The LECAP fund is used to subsidize the cost of placing network from the curb to a customer’s house. It is a great opportunity to overcome financial constraints and give more people access to affordable broadband. To be eligible to apply, households have to have earned $89,066 or less and up to $133,599 in certain high-income areas. Households are not eligible if the income is at or above $133,599 annually.
To apply, go to https://dmz1.dhcd.virginia.gov/C4P/LECAP/Create_HA
If you have program eligibility and coverage questions, please contact the ESVBA team at (757) 414-0304 or emailing sales@esvba.com. For more information about the program https://dhcd.virginia.gov/lecap or email lecap@dhcd.virginia.gov
Accomack County Assistance Program
In its efforts to ensure that residents of Accomack County have access to broadband connectivity, Accomack County established the Broadband Assistance Program (BAP) to help residents offset broadband installation charges. The program is run by the Eastern Shore of Virginia Broadband Authority (ESVBA). Qualified residents can be approved for up to $1,000 per household. The program is designed to ensure that low-income residents and residents affected by Covid-19 and meeting low-income criteria get broadband connectivity. The cost of installation can be expensive for low-income families. Furthermore, Covid-19 has brought an unprecedented financial burden on families that were already struggling and left out of the digital world. To be considered, contact the ESVBA team at (757) 414-0304 or emailing sales@esvba.com