Metro by T-Mobile, formerly known as MetroPCS is an American prepaid wireless service provider owned by T-Mobile US. They offer their customers good and affordable plans as well as lots of mobile devices from the most reputable brands.
Metro by T-Mobile or MetroPCS also participates in the FCC Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) program, which provides temporary payment assistance on internet services to eligible customers affected by the pandemic. In this article, you will find out all you have to know about the MetroPCS EBB program, how to enroll, and more.
What is The EBB Program?
The Emergency Broadband Benefit or EBB is an FCC program designed to help households struggling to afford internet service during the Covid-19 pandemic. As such, the assistance program is meant to connect people to jobs, online education, critical emergency services, and more.
The Emergency Broadband Benefit provides a discount of up to $50 (or $75 in Tribal lands) a month towards broadband service for eligible households. In addition to the monthly discount, eligible households may also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to buy a desktop computer, laptop, or tablet if they contribute more than $10 and less than $50 toward the purchase price.
The EBB program is limited to one monthly service discount and one device discount per household and it is nontransferable. The EBB program is also temporary, which means that it will either end when the fund is expended or six months after the end of the pandemic, whichever comes first.
Does MetroPCS Offer EBB Program?
Yes, Metro by T-Mobile or MetroPCS as well as T-Mobile and other T-Mobile-owned service providers, such as Assurance Wireless and Sprint all offer the temporary government assistance program by the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) called the Emergency Broadband Benefit or EBB.
T-Mobile and MetroPCS proudly participate in the EBB program in order to help low-income people who have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic get access to internet services and thus stay connected to their loved ones, jobs, school, and emergency and healthcare services.
How Does MetroPCS Work With The EBB Program?
T-Mobile and all of the service providers T-Mobile owns, such as MetroPCS, Assistance, and Sprint are Emergency Broadband Benefit providers. As such, they offer temporary payment assistance on internet services to customers impacted by the ongoing health emergency.
Under the EBB program, eligible households can get up to a $50 monthly discount on internet services (up to $75 for eligible households on Tribal lands).
The way the MetroPCS EBB program works is that you confirm your EBB eligibility and sign up for the program. If your application is approved, you will receive your monthly internet discount on any of the eligible plans.
What Are The Benefits if I Qualify for The MetroPCS EBB Program?
The main benefit of the MetroPCS EBB program is quite simple. The program provides a temporary discount of up to $50 a month towards internet service for eligible households and up to $75 a month for eligible households on Tribal lands.
As a result of this discount, a low-income person or household will experience many other benefits, including:
- Being able to stay connected to loved ones, friends, and family members.
- Being able to stay connected to work and seek out other job opportunities.
- Being able to access virtual classrooms and participate in online education.
- Being able to access critical healthcare services and other emergency services.
How Do I Qualify for MetroPCS EBB Program?
To qualify for the MetroPCS EBB program, you must be a current MetroPCS customer on an eligible rate plan. In addition, you must qualify to receive the benefit through the National Verifier.
To be EBB-eligible you or any of your household members must check any one (or more) of the conditions listed below:
- Your annual household income is at or below 135% of the federal poverty guidelines.
- You qualify through participation in a qualifying government assistance program, such as SNAP, Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income, Federal Public Housing Assistance, or Veterans and Survivors Pension Benefit.
- You participate in one of the several Tribal-specific programs, such as Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance, Tribal Head Start (only households meeting the relevant income qualifying standard), Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (Tribal TANF), Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations.
- You have experienced a substantial loss of income since February 29, 2020, due to job loss or furlough AND has a total household income in 2020 at or below $99,000 for single filers and $198,000 for joint filers.
- You have received a federal Pell Grant in the current award year.
- You have received approval for benefits under the free and reduced-price school lunch program or the school breakfast program, including through the USDA Community Eligibility Provision, in the 2019-20, 2020-21, or 2021-22 school year.
- You meet the eligibility criteria for a participating provider’s existing low-income or COVID-19 program, and that provider received FCC approval for its eligibility verification process.
T-Mobile, Assurance, and Sprint customers are also eligible.
Note: Only one monthly service discount is allowed per household.
Read one of our past articles Metro Pcs by T-Mobile Free Phones With Plan
What Documentation Do I Need to Qualify for The MetroPCS EBB Program?
In case MetroPCS is unable to verify your identity, address, or EBB eligibility, you may be required to provide certain documents that would verify your identity and prove your eligibility.
Therefore, you may be asked to provide any of the documents listed below:
- An official document verifying your identity, such as a passport, state ID, other government-issued ID, U.S. Driver’s License, U.S. Military ID, Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, Tribal Identification Number, Social Security Number.
- An official document showing your address, such as Driver’s license, state ID, Tribal ID, or another government-issued ID, utility bill, mortgage or lease statement, most recent W-2, or tax return.
- An official document proving your household income, such as prior year’s state, federal, or Tribal tax return, current income statement from your employer or a paycheck stub, a Social Security statement of benefits, Veterans Administration statement of benefits, Unemployment or Worker’s Compensation statement of benefits, divorce decree, child support award, or a similar official document showing your income, a retirement/pension statement of benefits.
- An official document proving your qualifying assistance program participation, such as an approval letter, benefit award letter, statement of benefits, benefit verification letter.
- An official document proving your substantial loss of income, such as a layoff/furlough notice, unemployment application, approval letter, or benefit statement, evidence of bankruptcy or business closure, 2020 state, federal, or Tribal tax return, Social Security statement of benefits, Veterans Administration statement of benefits, retirement or pension statement of benefits, Unemployment or Worker’s Compensation statement of benefits, divorce decree, child support award, or a similar official document showing your income.
As only people of age 18 and above and emancipated minors can participate in the EBB program, in case you are an emancipated minor, you must also provide an official document proving it, such as a court document, or a certificate.
Make sure to only provide copies of the documents instead of original ones.
You can read one of our past articles How To Get Free Tablet From Government
How to Apply for The MetroPCS EBB Program
Applying for the MetroPCS EBB program is simple. You can do it in two easy steps:
- Step 1: Confirm your eligibility. Visit getemergencybroadband.org/?icid=MGPO_TMO_U_21TMOEBB_7GB6DU9M5JB8XJIE24759 and fill out the provided form. The National Verifier will determine your eligibility. If you are EBB-eligible you will get a confirmation and verification. Then, you can proceed to step 2.
- Step 2: Complete the enrollment application. Log in to your MetroPCS account at metrobyt-mobile.com/my-account/profile and fill out the enrollment application. Make sure you fill out the form by providing the exact same information as you did in step 1.
- Step 3: In case your application gets approved, you will receive an SMS or email from Metro by T-Mobile stating that your enrollment has been approved. Then, your EBB discount will be applied to your account within 1-2 billing cycles. Once your discount has been applied, you will receive another confirmation text or email.
How Do I Know if I Am Eligible for MetroPCS EBB Program?
The first thing you may wish to do in order to get an idea of whether or not you are eligible for the MetroPCS EBB program is to review the EBB eligibility criteria yourself. You can review the EBB eligibility criteria in the ‘How Do I Qualify for MetroPCS EBB Program?’ section.
Secondly, to know whether you are EBB-eligible or not for sure, visit getemergencybroadband.org/?icid=MGPO_TMO_U_21TMOEBB_7GB6DU9M5JB8XJIE24759 and fill out the provided form. The National Verifier will determine your eligibility. In case you are EBB-eligible, you will get a confirmation.
What Else Should You Know About MetroPCS EBB Program?
Will I Get the Benefit of T-Mobile EBB if I Qualify for Metro EBB?
Metro by T-Mobile or MetroPCS is owned by T-Mobile. As such, T-Mobile and all the other service providers the carrier owns (Sprint, Assurance, and Metro) participate in the same EBB program. In other words, T-Mobile and Metro’s EBB program are basically the same thing.
Why Should You Choose EBB MetroPCS?
As there are lots of EBB providers throughout the country, you may be wondering why choose MetroPCS’s EBB program. For starters, Metro by T-Mobile or MetroPCS is a reputable service provider. It is owned and backed by the huge T-Mobile company. It offers high-quality services and devices. In addition, MetroPCS uses T-Mobile’s reliable nationwide network.
How Good Is MetroPCS Network?
MetroPCS or Metro by T-Mobile uses T-Mobile’s nationwide GSM network, which is considered one of the best networks in the country. In addition to a reliable nationwide 4G LTE network, T-Mobile also offers the largest 5G network in the U.S.
Does MetroPCS Offer Free Tablets?
MetroPCS does not offer free tablets through its EBB program. However, they often offer discounts and special deals on their electronic devices, including phones and tablets. These promotional deals are short-term and ever-changing. As such, your best bet to get a free (or discounted) tablet from Metro is to check out Metro’s current device deals and offers at metrobyt-mobile.com/DevicesOffer.
In case you also need information MetroPCS Free Phones With Activation
What if I Switch to Another Operator After Qualifying for Metro EBB?
Switching to another operator after qualifying for Metro EBB is totally fine. If the next operator is also an EBB provider, you will also be able to transfer your EBB discount to the new provider.