Author Topic: Super cheap internet for "low income" families  (Read 4965 times)

Greenbeard

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Super cheap internet for "low income" families
« on: October 02, 2013, 02:39:48 PM »
Comcast provides the only internet available in my area at $78 per month.  While looking for a cheaper internet solution, I recently learned that Comcast offers internet at $10 per month if your child qualifies for free lunch at school.

http://customer.comcast.com/help-and-support/internet/comcast-broadband-opportunity-program/
http://fairfaxcity.patch.com/groups/schools/p/comcast-offers-low-cost-internet-for-families-with-st20c8131c9e

So then I looked to see how to qualify for free school lunch in my area you need to make less than 130% of the federal poverty level.  Here's the chart for 130% for family sizes:

Family/Annual Income
1 / $14,937    
2 / $20,163
3 / $25,389
4 / $30,615
5 / $35,841
6 / $41,067
7 / $46,293
8 / $51,519

I don't qualify now, but if I were to retire today and draw only $35,841 then I would qualify.

Then, on the school lunch page, there are links to other great government "benefits"

I would also qualify for:

<li>$6000 annually from the federal government for the per child tax credit.

<li>$2000 annually from my state for heating fuel assistance.

<li>$4,600 from my state in food assistance.

<li>Plus save $600 in internet bills

And, because my income is all capital gains I would pay zero federal taxes:
http://www.bankrate.com/finance/taxes/no-capital-gains-due-for-some-investors-1.aspx

So for drawing only $35,841 I would get an additional $15,200.  Total take home would be $51,041

I looked pretty thoroughly and none of those programs look at your assets, only your income. 

Amazing.  Maybe I can retire today after all.

oldtoyota

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Re: Super cheap internet for "low income" families
« Reply #1 on: October 02, 2013, 02:45:56 PM »
For internet, you could try Mobile Mesh networking.

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/08/mesh-internet-privacy-nsa-isp

gimp

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Re: Super cheap internet for "low income" families
« Reply #2 on: October 02, 2013, 05:35:03 PM »
With due respect, in your case, that seems like taking advantage of the system. Not frugality.

But that's a decent service offered for those who need it. Though I'd have to question whether $10 internet will even work with modern bandwidth requirements to do normal internet stuff...

Greenbeard

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Re: Super cheap internet for "low income" families
« Reply #3 on: October 02, 2013, 07:05:55 PM »
With due respect, in your case, that seems like taking advantage of the system. Not frugality.


I agree.  It was more of an illustration of a possibly broken system than a serious retirement plan.

Left

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Re: Super cheap internet for "low income" families
« Reply #4 on: October 02, 2013, 11:27:40 PM »
My super low internet plan is to hope Google Fiber moves into my neighborhood or I move into theirs later on. Free internet > cheap internet :D

but wouldn't the additional $15k be counted towards annual income? Not sure how tax credits work for those calculations.

gimp

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Re: Super cheap internet for "low income" families
« Reply #5 on: October 03, 2013, 10:23:00 AM »
With due respect, in your case, that seems like taking advantage of the system. Not frugality.


I agree.  It was more of an illustration of a possibly broken system than a serious retirement plan.

Yeah, it's always a challenge to balance liquid income versus illiquid assets. On one hand, I'm sure that there are people with millions in assets and no income who take advantage of programs they morally have no right to. On the other hand, it would be very bad to force someone to short-sell large assets just to pay small amounts of money. I think the most likely thing is to keep the system as is, and gradually introduce better automated auditing that would catch such abuse at very low cost.

Quote
My super low internet plan is to hope Google Fiber moves into my neighborhood or I move into theirs later on.

That's all of our plans. The day I can boot comcast our the door will be a truly happy day.

umterp1999

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Re: Super cheap internet for "low income" families
« Reply #6 on: October 04, 2013, 08:08:20 AM »
Am I the only who thinks that if your family fallls in those incomes, that 10.00 a month or (120.00 annually) could be better spent on other things than internet?  Internet can be accessed at libraries. 

Daley

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Re: Super cheap internet for "low income" families
« Reply #7 on: October 04, 2013, 08:26:57 AM »
Am I the only who thinks that if your family fallls in those incomes, that 10.00 a month or (120.00 annually) could be better spent on other things than internet?  Internet can be accessed at libraries. 

That depends. Comcast's reduced rate internet is usually their 1.5-3Mbps service, which is more than enough to run VoIP services, and an extra $8-15 a month on top of that is going to get folks in that position far more useful telephone service than what Lifeline services usually provide for around $5-8 a month after taxes, which usually only covers local calling. There's also something very useful about providing an impoverished family affordable, at-will communications in their home that may provide them greater opportunities to shovel out if used wisely.

The "just go down to the library" approach also wholly ignores the stupid trend in public schools moving towards getting kids plugged into the Googleplex just to be able to keep up with assignments, and school districts using technology as an automation crutch to providing education on a shoestring.