Assistance Programs

Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP)

Update 2/8/24: The FCC has closed the program for all new applications.

ASTAC is an approved participant in the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). The ACP is a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) program that provides a temporary discount on monthly broadband bills for qualifying low-income households.

If you reside in ASTAC’s service area, and your household is on Tribal lands, you could be eligible to receive:

Up to a $75/month discount on your Internet service
A one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a tablet

The benefit is limited to one monthly service discount per household.

Please make note, repair fees are not covered by ASTAC.

Need a repair today, contact us at 1-800-478-6409 and we will make it happen!

Update 2/8/2024:

FCC has closed the program for all new applications.

If you reside in ASTAC’s service area, and your household is on Tribal lands, you could be eligible to receive:

Up to a $75/month discount on your Internet service
A one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a tablet

The benefit is limited to one monthly service discount per household.

Please make note, repair fees are not covered by ASTAC.

Need a repair today, contact us at
1-800-478-6409 and we will make it happen!

Who Is Eligible?

A household is eligible for ACP 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:

Participates in any of the following assistance programs: SNAP, Medicaid, Federal Public Housing Assistance, Veterans Pension or Survivor Benefits, SSI, WIC, or Lifeline;
Participates in any of the following Tribal specific programs:
Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance, Tribal TANF, Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, or Tribal Head Start (income based);
Participates in the Free and Reduced-Price School Lunch Program or the School Breakfast Program, including through
the USDA Community Eligibility Provision;
Received a Federal Pell Grant during the current award year; or
Meets the eligibility criteria for a participating broadband provider’s existing low-income internet program.

For More Information Visit: AffordableConnectivity.gov

Lifeline

In keeping with our core belief that everyone in our communities should have access to reliable and affordable telecommunications, ASTAC is proud to offer assistance programs to qualified applicants through our Lifeline and Link-Up programs.

For information on getting started with Lifeline, refer to the FCC’s Lifeline Program web site.

Lifeline Program

Lifeline is a federal government assistance benefit that provides a monthly discount on fixed/mobile broadband or voice service. Only ONE Lifeline discount is allowed per household. Customers must remain with their service providers for at least 60 days (voice) or 12 months (mobile/fixed broadband) before they can switch their benefit to a different provider. Members of a household are not permitted to receive Lifeline service from multiple telephone companies.

Lifeline is a non-transferable benefit and may not be transferred to any other person. Willfully making false statements to obtain the benefit can result in fines, imprisonment, de-enrollment, or being barred from the program. Violation of the one-per-household limitation constitutes a violation of the FCC’s rules and will result in de-enrollment from the program and, potentially, prosecution by the U.S. government.

Link-Up Assistance

Includes any standard charges imposed on qualifying low-income individuals on Tribal Lands as a condition of initiating service, including both line extension and initial connection charges. The customer will receive assistance for 100% of connection fees up to $100.00. This is the maximum federal assistance available. The supported services under this section do not include charges assessed for facilities or equipment that fall on the customer’s side of the demarcation point, i.e. customer premises equipment and inside wiring charges.

Any additional installation charges or line extension charges will be the responsibility of the customer. Expanded Link-Up Service assistance shall be provided a subsequent time only for a principal residence with a different address than the residence where Expanded Link-Up Service was previously provided.

Service Standards

Wireless: 4.5 GB of data per month with 3G or better mobile technology*

Landline: The Lifeline benefit for voice service is $5.25/per month*

*Standards effective December 1, 2020

Program Based Eligibility

Proof of program participation is required.

Proof of income is required to confirm eligibility & an application must be completed.

Service Agreements

Customer Referral Program

Earn ASTAC cash telling friends and family about your great ASTAC service! Once your referral has signed up for a new service and your eligibility has been verified, ASTAC will add a $50 bill credit to your account for every new customer you refer. Referral Cash program cards can be picked up from our Utqiaġvik retail store.

Contact our Customer Experience Department at 1-800-478-6409 for more information.

Download The Referral Form

Recycle Program

Keep Alaska beautiful by recycling your old cell phone and accessories.

ASTAC participates in the Wireless Alliance Cell Phone Recycling Program. Items accepted include: cell phones, tablets, iPods/MP3 players, pagers, Bluetooth devices, digital cameras, GPS devices, PDAs, Aircards, chargers and accessories. Recycle boxes are located in the Utqiaġvik office, Anchorage office, and the ASTAC office in Deadhorse. Every device is wiped of all data by Wireless Alliance in accordance with the data sanitization, purging, or destruction practices described in the NIST Guidelines for Media Sanitization: Special Publication 800-88 (rev. 1).

All recycling processing is handled at The Wireless Alliance’s R2:2013, ISO 14001, and OHSAS 18001 certified facility. The cell phones collected are either refurbished, reused, repaired, or smelted down for metals and plastics.

Thank you for your commitment to keep our environment green.