Does Verizon still offer the ACP discount?

No. The Affordable Connectivity Program ended for every carrier on June 1, 2024. Verizon Forward is the replacement Verizon runs itself: up to $30/month off home internet, stackable with federal Lifeline.

I had Verizon ACP. Do I automatically get Verizon Forward?

No — you need to enroll in Forward separately and prove current eligibility (Lifeline enrollment, WIC, or a recent Pell Grant). If you qualified for ACP through SNAP, Medicaid, or SSI, apply for Lifeline first; approval there unlocks Forward.

Is Verizon Forward Fios or 5G Home?

Whichever is available at your address. If you have Fios available, that's the default. If not, Verizon will quote you 5G Home or LTE Home. The Forward discount applies either way.

Is Verizon Forward available nationwide?

Fios is only available in Verizon's northeast footprint (NY, NJ, PA, MD, VA, DC, MA, RI, DE). 5G Home and LTE Home are available in many more markets nationwide as Verizon's coverage expands. Check at verizon.com.

Does Verizon have a free government phone?

Through SafeLink Wireless, yes — SafeLink is the Verizon-owned (TracFone) Lifeline brand, with $0/month plans and a free smartphone on Verizon's network. Verizon's own-brand Lifeline participation is a discount on wireline home phone service in its territories, not a free wireless plan.

Verizon · Updated August 2026

The Verizon Lifeline program: Forward, SafeLink, and the discounts, explained.

Verizon's ACP credit ended with the federal program in June 2024. Verizon Forward is the company's replacement: a discount of up to $30/month on Verizon Fios, 5G Home, or LTE Home internet, bringing qualifying households' price as low as $20/month. You qualify by participating in Lifeline, WIC, or receiving a federal Pell Grant within the past year — and since SNAP, Medicaid, and SSI qualify you for Lifeline, most low-income households have a path in.

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Verizon and the ACP: what changed

'Verizon ACP' is still one of the most-searched carrier assistance queries in 2026, but the ACP credit ended for all carriers on June 1, 2024. Verizon Forward launched as Verizon's direct answer to ACP's shutdown — it's funded by Verizon rather than Congress, and it survived where ACP didn't. If you had the ACP discount on a Verizon bill, Forward is what you apply for now.

How Verizon Forward works

Verizon Forward is a discount of up to $30/month on Verizon home internet — Fios (fiber), 5G Home (fixed wireless), or LTE Home — bringing eligible households' cost as low as $20/month depending on the plan and location. No installation fee, no contract, and speeds from 85 Mbps up to 300 Mbps depending on the technology at your address.

How you qualify

Verizon's listed proofs are: current enrollment in the federal Lifeline program, participation in WIC, or receipt of a federal Pell Grant within the past year. The Lifeline path is the wide door — SNAP, Medicaid, SSI, Section 8, Veterans Pension, and income at or below 135% of Federal Poverty Guidelines all qualify you for Lifeline, and Lifeline enrollment then qualifies you for Forward. Apply for Lifeline first through USAC's National Verifier, then bring that approval to Verizon.

Two different services, one discount

Fios is Verizon's fiber product — available in parts of NY, NJ, PA, VA, MD, DE, MA, RI, DC. 5G Home uses Verizon's cellular network and is available in a rapidly expanding footprint nationwide; LTE Home covers many rural addresses. If your address has both, pick Fios for consistent speeds; pick 5G Home if Fios isn't available but you have good Verizon signal.

Stacking with Lifeline

Yes — the federal Lifeline benefit ($9.25/month) can be applied on top of the Forward discount for qualifying households, which is how the advertised as-low-as-$20/month price is reached on some plans. Verizon walks you through it during Forward enrollment.

Verizon's free-phone path is called SafeLink

If you searched 'Verizon Lifeline program' hoping for a free wireless phone: that product exists, but under the SafeLink Wireless name. SafeLink is a TracFone brand, and TracFone is owned by Verizon — SafeLink's free Lifeline plans run on Verizon's network, which is why it's our usual pick for rural coverage. Verizon under its own name offers the Lifeline discount on home phone service in its wireline territories and the Verizon Forward low-income home internet plan covered above. So: free wireless phone → SafeLink; discounted home internet → Verizon Forward; landline discount → Verizon wireline Lifeline.

Compare other Lifeline-compatible carriers.

$10-30/mo

Verizon Forward FAQ.

Check Lifeline eligibility first.

You need federal Lifeline approval before the $9.25/month discount applies to Verizon service. 30 seconds to check.