May 19, 2021

Verizon and some other ISPs are preventing low-income earners from benefiting from the $50 a month Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) unless they switch to a different, more expensive plan.

While the EBB is only temporary, Verizon customers who switch to more expensive plans to enjoy the $50 monthly rebate will have to pay the higher rate even after the data subsidy ends.

According to a report by Washington Post tech columnist Geoffrey Fowler, Verizon is restricting plans available for both mobile and home Internet services.

Instead of allowing customers to register online, Verizon requires users to call a number to sign up and then “tells some customers the EBB can’t be used on ‘old’ data plans, so they’ll have to switch.”

For more information, read the original story in Arstechnica.