Forum Discussion
Home Internet not eligible for Emergency Broadband Benefit
So I went through the application process and got approved but now T-mobile is telling me that my home internet is not eligible for the benefit. What gives? Why have it on the page advertising it if their plan does not qualify? What does someone need to do to qualify? They are advertising that they are a part of this yet no one is having success in setting it up.
lulla wrote:
So I went through the application process and got approved but now T-mobile is telling me that my home internet is not eligible for the benefit. What gives? Why have it on the page advertising it if their plan does not qualify? What does someone need to do to qualify? They are advertising that they are a part of this yet no one is having success in setting it up.
According to T-Mobile, only T-Mobile Home Internet accounts activated before March 10, 2021, are eligible for the EBB.
I found this page through Google, so here are a few more terms for the algorithm to push this post to the top of the results.
T-Mobile home internet EBB Emergency Broadband Benefit FCC qualify rate plan Covid pandemic assistance
https://www.t-mobile.com/customers/emergency-broadband-benefit
“We’re proud to participate in the FCC Emergency Broadband Benefit program, which offers temporary payment assistance on internet services to customers in eligible households impacted by the pandemic.”
¿Qué es el Beneficio de emergencia para banda ancha?
El programa Beneficio de emergencia para banda ancha (EBB) es un programa temporal lanzado por la FCC para ayudar a subsidiar el costo de servicios de Internet de alta velocidad para grupos familiares que están pasando un momento económico difícil por la pandemia de COVID-19.
¿Por qué T-Mobile está haciendo esto?
T-Mobile está participando en el programa Beneficio de emergencia para banda ancha de la FCC para que familias afectadas por la pandemia de COVID-19 puedan seguir conectadas para trabajar, estudiar, acceder a servicios de atención médica y otros servicios.
¿Quién se encarga del pago cuando grupos familiares elegibles reciben el EBB a través de una agencia del gobierno?
T-Mobile se pondrá en contacto directamente con las agencias del gobierno para prestar servicios relacionados con el EBB a grupos familiares elegibles. La agencia del gobierno será responsable de pagar el costo del servicio elegible.
I found a different form and submitted my information through it. Worth a try at least.
ghostlee13 wrote:
EBB is only available for home internet accounts that were established prior to March 10, 2021. Don't know why it's that way, but that's the way it is.
That's also interesting because according to this press release that they seem to have taken down, they were still advertising it as a benefit as of May 3, 2021. It even states that enrollment starts on May 12:
T‑Mobile and Metro by T‑Mobile to Participate in FCC’s Emergency Broadband Benefit Program
03 mayo de 2021
To ensure households struggling to pay for Internet service during the pandemic are able to stay connected to work, education and healthcare services, T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile are participating in the FCC’s temporary Emergency Broadband Benefit Program (EBB).
When enrollment opens on May 12, qualified T-Mobile, Metro by T-Mobile, Assurance Wireless and Sprint brand consumer and government customers in the U.S., Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands may be eligible for an up to $50 discount (up to $75 on tribal lands) per household on service each month on qualified plans for the duration of the program.
For more information about the FCC’s Emergency Broadband Benefit program, starting May 12 visit www.t-mobile.com/emergency-broadband-benefit.
From my understanding, T-Mobile has a 3rd party they employed to take calls to make their customer service 24/7 accessible. I suggest calling at your local time zone from 8AM-7PM. This ensures you that you will be able to speak to an actual T-Mobile customer representative. Most of the 3rd party that answers the phone will disregard your circumstance and read the generic reply they've been told to say. From there, either get home internet ($50) or get it applied to your phone bill by filling out this T-Mobile application. https://t-mobile.custhelp.com/app/forms/EBB_Enrollment/session/L3RpbWUvMTYzOTU5OTA1MS9nZW4vMTYzOTU5OTA1MS9zaWQvZlVfbWl6eGtjZkM3cUllMVp1YmFHQmhGZHFrZWNXQUVETHh3YTJ1TklIc1l5alBEVVhBVjhfWGtNM1BtMDhTaG41NXBYWkNJR2JuV0dpMUQ2ZXBvS0g1TUo1blJSZE40QXFmcVlEdzBabDlFNFBjYmRoSVhNQUtRJTIxJTIx. This link is not easily found because T-Mobile doesn't really want to give you the discount. Plus not all their employees are on the same page. From my understanding (I've talked to 10-15 T-Mobile reps & been on the phone with them for 10+ hrs so far), the third party employee response will always be "you had to apply by March 10 2021." This is NOT TRUE AND WRONG, because why would T-Mobile have the program still up on their website well after 9 months if the promotion is still not offered. A T-Mobile rep. Should've seen it and notified their supervisors of the error. They do this to encourage you to sign up for their services (phone or home internet) to charge you for your first few billing cycles. They are aware this is wrong because they keep notes of your calls with them. T-Mobile will tell you the application with them and with EBB must be the same and the modem they give you has a DIFFERENT PHONE NUMBER THAN YOUR CELLPHONE NUMBER. Thus these are the steps I went through. Still waiting on my new application to be processed but I am hopeful this will happen.
1. sign up through EBB and get approved- contact your provider, in this case, T-Mobile. And let them know you want to open a home internet acc. Or whatever and mention the EBB discount program. If they say that the program ended in March 10,2021, ask to talk to a supervisor. If that supervisor says the same, ask for their supervisor or call back again.
- wait for the device to arrive and set it up.
- Fill out the application for T-MOBILE END. https://t-mobile.custhelp.com/app/forms/EBB_Enrollment/session/L3RpbWUvMTYzOTU5OTA1MS9nZW4vMTYzOTU5OTA1MS9zaWQvZlVfbWl6eGtjZkM3cUllMVp1YmFHQmhGZHFrZWNXQUVETHh3YTJ1TklIc1l5alBEVVhBVjhfWGtNM1BtMDhTaG41NXBYWkNJR2JuV0dpMUQ2ZXBvS0g1TUo1blJSZE40QXFmcVlEdzBabDlFNFBjYmRoSVhNQUtRJTIxJTIx
- in the application, it will ask for your contact number (your phone number) and the phone number associated with the device (this is the phone number given to you on the designated modem/ tower.)
- wait about 10 days. Then call asking for an update on your application. T-Mobile will trick you and say something like "the phone number on your EBB application and TMOBile application do not match and they can't do anything about it." Make sure the device number is on your T-Mobile application. If they still don't want to help you, ask them for a refund as most T-Mobile representatives will promise you they can apply the discount manually AFTER you receive the modem.
i hope this helps you all ask you need to apply the discount by January 12,2022 or you have to reapply for EBB again. You still have to apply for the EBB discount through T-Mobile again after January 12,2022 just not EBB itself.
I spent several hours pursuing the EBB for my account and this is what I was told:
♦ Home Internet only qualifies if you don't have any voice lines on your account. Port out your voice lines and you will qualify.
♦ The only published plans (Non-Grandfathered) eligible are Magenta (Regular no Max, 55+ etc) and Essentials.
♦ Overseas CS has no idea about prepaid plans or how to contact someone in the prepaid dept. that knows anything about EBB.
I currently have Magenta 55+ and the difference between my current plan and Regular Magenta with EBB is $15mo. Go Figure.
I opened my home internet account the second it was available in my area (August 2021). At that time, none of the T-Mobile store even had the home internet gateway in stock. T-mobile cannot claim that you had to have been signed up with them before the date they stated when the company didn't even HAVE the service available here at that time!
I signed up and switched ISPs with the promise (on day one) that my EBB eligibility would transfer over from my former ISP. Not true. Didn't happen. Since that time, I've had to call T-Mobile on a MONTHLY basis, to correct billing mistakes and to ask why I was not receiving the EBB I qualified for. Every time I got off the phone with a rep, it was with the assurance that I would see the discount applied within 1-2 billing cycles and the it "would be worth the wait." I even did the T-Mobile application over the phone with a rep and had them submit it for me. NOTHING HAPPENED. Wash-rinse-repeat month after month.
Now there is no EBB. The credit has gone from $50 to $30 on the new program. Fine. I'll take whatever help I can get! But I can't even get that! I never got the EBB, and now I'm told that I WILL NOT get the new $30 credit unless I switch to a whole other ISP provided by T-Mobile. That means getting rid of my T-mobile gateway and praying that I get the same internet quality with the other provider. This is grossly unfair of T-Mobile. I have filed a complaint with the FCC (something I did not want to do, because I really love this company outside of this horrible experience.) I have yet to hear anything at all from anyone regarding the complaint I filed.
Does anyone have any further information on the who T-Mobile directs qualified consumers to go to for home internet so they can receive the $30 discount? What's the service like? It's it as good as what you had with the T-Mobile gateway on 5G?
