ReachableHow to get cheap home internet, and a cheaper phone
Home internet in Victoria can cost $10 or $20 a month instead of the regular price. There is no single form. There are three or four separate programs, each run by a different office, and none of them will phone you first.
Checked on 3 September 2026
At a glance
- What you get
- Home internet for $10 to $20 a month. Some people can also get a cell plan for $25 a month, or $20 a month off the phone bill they already have.
- Who it is for
- People on BC disability assistance (PWD), CPP Disability or the Canada Disability Benefit. Seniors who get the Guaranteed Income Supplement. Families who get the maximum Canada Child Benefit.
- What it costs
- Nothing to apply. No program on this page charges an application fee, and TELUS says its Internet for Good plans have no contract and no cancellation fee.
- How long it takes
- About 20 minutes to apply. TELUS answers in about a week. Rogers says up to two weeks. Then a week or two to get hooked up.
- You need this first
- One piece of paper proving you get the benefit — a Confirmation of Assistance, a T4A(OAS), or a Canada Child Benefit statement. Nothing from a doctor.
The short version
There are two kinds of cheap internet, and they work in completely different ways.
- Connecting Families is a federal program. You cannot apply for it. The government decides you qualify and mails you a letter with a code in it. The letter is the application.
- Company programs — TELUS Internet for Good and Rogers Connected for Success — are run by the phone companies themselves. You do apply, by sending in one document that proves you get a benefit.
Both TELUS and Rogers sell internet in Victoria, so most addresses in town can use one or the other. In Victoria, Rogers is the company that took over Shaw in 2023, so if you were a Shaw customer, that is Rogers now.
Good news
You do not have to pick just one path. If no Connecting Families letter ever comes, you can still apply straight to TELUS or Rogers on your own, using your PWD or GIS paperwork. Most people we talk to only ever heard of one of these.
Connecting Families: the letter with the code
Connecting Families is run by the federal government. Nineteen internet companies take part. The government does not sell you anything — it just tells the companies you qualify.
Who qualifies. The government's own eligibility page gives two groups:
- Families who get the maximum Canada Child Benefit.
- Seniors who get at least 80 percent of the maximum Guaranteed Income Supplement.
That second rule is important, and it is why so many seniors are left out. If you get some GIS but not close to the full amount, no letter will come. That does not shut you out of the rest of this page.
What it costs. The government lists two plans:
- $10 a month plus tax — up to 10 Mbps download, 1 Mbps upload, 100 GB of data.
- $20 a month plus tax — up to 50 Mbps download, 10 Mbps upload, 200 GB of data.
Each company builds its own version of the offer, so what you are shown may be better. Rogers, for example, advertises its Connecting Families plan from $9.99 a month plus tax for 25 Mbps with unlimited data, free installation and free modem rental. Ask what you are actually being offered before you say yes.
How the letter works. A letter arrives from the Government of Canada or Service Canada with an activation code printed in the top right corner. You go to the sign-up site, type in the code, your name and your address, and pick a company from the list. In BC the participating companies are Rogers, TELUS and Northwestel.
The letter looks like junk mail
This is the single biggest reason the program goes unused. A plain envelope from the government, no application form inside, just a code. People recycle it. If you think you should have had one, or you moved and it went to the old address, phone the Connecting Families call centre at 1-833-206-0599 and ask.
One rule to know before you sign up: the government says you cannot switch companies while you are in the program, unless you move somewhere your company does not reach. So choose carefully the first time. Ask each company what speed it can actually deliver to your address.
TELUS Internet for Good
This is a TELUS company program, not a government benefit. TELUS makes the rules and TELUS decides. It runs in BC, Alberta and parts of Quebec, so it is useful here.
There are three separate doors in, and you only need one of them.
Through a disability benefit
You qualify if you receive any one of these:
- the BC Persons with Disabilities (PWD) benefit,
- the Canada Pension Plan Disability benefit, or
- the Canada Disability Benefit.
There are no children involved in this stream at all, and no doctor's note. TELUS wants proof that you get the benefit. It lists a BC Ministry Confirmation of Assistance statement, a Release of Personal Information, a CRA Statement of Canada Pension Plan Benefits (the T4A(P)), or Canada Disability Benefit paperwork.
As a senior
You qualify if you receive the Guaranteed Income Supplement of at least $6,500 a year. The proof is your T4A(OAS) slip showing at least that amount in box 21.
As a family
You qualify if you get the maximum Canada Child Benefit and can show a recent Canada Child Benefit statement with a family net income of $38,237 or less.
What it costs
| Plan | Price a month, plus tax | Speed | Data |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet 25 | $10 | 25 Mbps download | 300 GB |
| Internet 50 | $20 | 50 Mbps download | Unlimited |
| Internet 150 | $35 | 150 Mbps download | Unlimited |
Put a note in your calendar for month 23
On the disability and family streams, TELUS says the low price runs for 24 months, and "regular pricing applies at month 25." Nobody rings a bell. Write the date down now and phone TELUS a month before it lands to ask what happens next.
The senior stream reads differently: TELUS says the discounted price "will continue to apply for each month of service." If you are on the senior stream, ask them to confirm that on the phone anyway, and note who told you.
TELUS says Internet for Good has no contract and no cancellation fee. A credit check is part of signing up, and what speed you can get depends on your address.
Rogers Connected for Success
Rogers runs its own low-cost program, and the Province of British Columbia lists it as available to eligible people in BC. Rogers says the program covers BC along with most other provinces.
Who qualifies. Rogers describes its customers as people who receive income or disability support, the federal Guaranteed Income Supplement, or who qualify for rent-geared-to-income housing. In BC that is generally read as people on PWD or income assistance, seniors on GIS, and people in certain subsidized buildings. Rogers is the one who decides.
Read the Rogers website carefully
The Rogers Connected for Success site shows Ontario offers by default, and the list of qualifying programs it displays is the Ontario list. The prices it shows in Ontario are $10, $20 and $35 a month for 25, 50 and 150 Mbps, and mobile plans at $25 for 10 GB or $35 for 15 GB. Do not assume those are the BC prices or the BC rules. Phone 1-866-689-0758 and ask what the offer is at your address in Victoria.
Rogers asks for proof that you get assistance, and says it will answer every application within two weeks. You have to send the proof again every two years to stay in the program.
One thing worth knowing: Rogers states that Connected for Success plans cannot be combined with any other discount, including its accessibility discount. If you already get the $20 accessibility discount described below, do the arithmetic before you switch.
Cheaper cell phone plans
The internet programs and the phone programs are separate. Here is what is real right now.
TELUS Mobility for Good, for seniors on GIS
If you receive the Guaranteed Income Supplement, TELUS offers:
- $25 a month for 10 GB of data, or $35 a month for 20 GB,
- unlimited Canada-wide talk and text,
- and a free certified pre-owned Samsung Galaxy S23 FE on a two-year term. You can also bring your own phone, or take $75 off a refurbished phone at Mobile Klinik.
The proof is your Old Age Security statement, the T4A(OAS), showing the amount in box 21. Apply online, email mobilityforgood@telus.com, or mail your document to TELUS, Attention: Mobility for Good Program, 4535 Canada Way, Burnaby, BC V5G 1J9. TELUS says it answers within about a week.
There is no TELUS phone plan for people on PWD
We looked, because people ask. TELUS Mobility for Good has streams for youth leaving government care, low-income seniors on GIS, government-assisted refugees, and Indigenous women at risk of or surviving violence. Disability is not one of them. The disability route into TELUS is Internet for Good, plus the discount below.
$20 a month off a phone bill you already have
Both big companies knock money off a regular plan for customers with a disability. You keep your plan, you just pay less.
- TELUS offers "a $20 monthly discount on consumer smartphone plans for people living with a disability." Ask about it through Tech for Good — email techforgood@telus.com or phone 1-866-572-4698.
- Rogers gives a $20 monthly discount on the mobile line plus an extra 20 GB of data a month on most plans. As proof it accepts a disability-association membership, the Disability Tax Credit or other provincial disability support documents, or a medical note. Apply through the form on the Rogers accessibility page, or email AccessibilityDiscount@cx.rogers.com. The name on the document has to match the name on the phone line.
The Rogers proof list is worth reading twice. A Disability Tax Credit approval letter counts. If you have one sitting in a drawer, that is $20 a month.
Free training on your own device
TELUS Tech for Good gives people with a disability a free one-on-one virtual assessment and training on the accessibility features of a phone, tablet or computer they already own. You do not need to be a TELUS customer. It does not hand out free devices, but TELUS says financial help is sometimes available for assistive technology. Email techforgood@telus.com.
The options side by side
| Program | Who qualifies | Price | How to apply |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connecting Families (federal) | Maximum Canada Child Benefit, or at least 80% of the maximum GIS. You must receive the letter. | $10 or $20 a month plus tax. Rogers advertises its version from $9.99. | Use the code in your letter on the sign-up site, or call 1-833-206-0599. |
| TELUS Internet for Good — disability | BC PWD, CPP Disability, or the Canada Disability Benefit. | $10, $20 or $35 a month plus tax, for 24 months. | Online, email internetforgood@telus.com, or call 1-833-323-3338. |
| TELUS Internet for Good — seniors | GIS of at least $6,500 a year, shown in box 21 of your T4A(OAS). | Same three prices. TELUS says the senior price keeps applying each month of service. | Same as above. |
| TELUS Internet for Good — families | Maximum Canada Child Benefit with family net income of $38,237 or less. | Same three prices, for 24 months. | Same as above. |
| Rogers Connected for Success | Income or disability support, GIS, or rent-geared-to-income housing. Rogers decides. | Ontario offers show $10, $20 and $35. Ask what the BC price is. | Online form or call 1-866-689-0758. Answer within two weeks. |
| TELUS Mobility for Good — seniors | You receive the Guaranteed Income Supplement. | $25 a month for 10 GB, or $35 for 20 GB, with a free refurbished phone on a 2-year term. | Online, or email mobilityforgood@telus.com. |
| Accessibility discount (TELUS or Rogers) | You have a disability. Rogers accepts the Disability Tax Credit as proof. | $20 a month off your existing plan. Rogers adds 20 GB of data. | TELUS: techforgood@telus.com. Rogers: AccessibilityDiscount@cx.rogers.com. |
| Greater Victoria Public Library | Anyone. A library card is free for residents. | Free. Up to 25 pages a day of free printing. | Walk into any branch, or call 250-940-4875. |
Getting a computer, cheap
Cheap internet is not much use with nothing to plug into it.
ReuseTechBC, run by the BC Technology for Learning Society, is a registered charity in Burnaby that refurbishes donated computers and sells them at low cost to low-income individuals, nonprofits, schools and Indigenous groups across BC.
- Who qualifies: you show proof of government assistance, or a notice of assessment from last year showing income under $50,000.
- What it costs (September 2026): laptops $75 to $300, desktops $50 to $150, monitors $25 to $100, printers free. Shipping runs $20 to $100 per order, or free if you can pick it up in Burnaby. Prices change — check the current list before you plan around it.
- How: fill in the technology request form on their site, or phone 604-294-6886 extension 1, or email ClientServices@ReuseTechBC.ca.
If you got a Connecting Families letter, mention it. The federal program also offers a low-cost device while supplies last, and ReuseTechBC is the BC partner that supplies them.
Free internet you can use today
While you wait for an application, the Greater Victoria Public Library has 12 branches and all of it is free.
- Free wifi in the branches for your own phone or laptop.
- Public computers. You can sit down at any free station without booking. With a library card you can book a regular or adaptive computer up to a week ahead, in one-hour sessions, by phone or at any branch. Express computers cannot be booked and run 15 minutes at a time, first come, first served.
- Adaptive computers are set up for people who need different input or a bigger screen. Ask staff which branch has one free.
- Free printing — up to 25 pages a day, black and white or colour, from library computers, with a card.
- Computers and printers shut down 15 minutes before the branch closes, so do not start something at the last minute.
Main branch: 735 Broughton Street, Victoria. Phone 250-940-4875. A library card is free.
We could not confirm that the library lends internet hotspots to take home. If that matters to you, ask when you call — it is the kind of thing that changes.
How to apply, step by step
- Find your one piece of paper. On PWD or income assistance, ask for a Confirmation of Assistance statement — through your My Self Serve account online, or by phoning the ministry at 1-866-866-0800. On CPP Disability, it is your T4A(P). A senior needs the T4A(OAS). A family needs a recent Canada Child Benefit statement.
- Check the mail pile for a Connecting Families letter. Look for a code in the top right corner. If you cannot find one and you think you should have, call 1-833-206-0599.
- Phone TELUS at 1-833-323-3338 and ask two things: does Internet for Good reach my address, and which stream do I fit. Use the script below.
- Phone Rogers at 1-866-689-0758 and ask the same two questions. Their rules and their coverage are different from TELUS's, so a no from one is not a no from the other.
- Apply by email or mail if you can, not just by phone. Email internetforgood@telus.com, or post a copy of your document to TELUS, Attention: Internet for Good Program, 4535 Canada Way, Burnaby, BC V5G 1J9. A written trail is worth a lot when someone loses your file.
- Ask about the phone bill in the same call. The $20 accessibility discount is a different department. Ask anyway, and write down who you spoke to.
- Write the end date in your calendar if you are on a 24-month price, and phone a month early.
What to say when you phone TELUS or Rogers
"Hello. I'd like to apply for your low-income internet program. With TELUS it's called Internet for Good, and with Rogers it's Connected for Success."
"I receive [BC disability assistance / the Guaranteed Income Supplement / the maximum Canada Child Benefit], and I have the document that proves it."
"Two questions. First, does your service reach my address? Second, which plan am I eligible for and what will the total be with tax?"
"And could you please give me your name and a reference number for this call?"
You do not need an email address of your own to apply. TELUS says a friend, family member or case worker can apply for you, and Rogers has a place on its form to add an authorized person who can set up the account with you.
If they tell you that you do not qualify
This happens constantly, and most of the time it is not the final answer. The person who answers the general sales line often has never heard of these programs. They are not being difficult. The program lives with a different team and does not show up on their screen.
What to say when the agent has never heard of it
"I understand you can't see it there. This isn't a regular plan — it's the company's low-income program. TELUS calls it Internet for Good; Rogers calls it Connected for Success. There's a separate team for it."
"Could you please transfer me to that team, or give me their direct number?"
"If you can't, that's all right. I'll apply in writing instead. Could I have your name, and could you note on my file that I called today?"
Then hang up and phone the dedicated line yourself: TELUS Internet for Good 1-833-323-3338. Rogers Connected for Success 1-866-689-0758. Connecting Families 1-833-206-0599.
Work through this list before you give up:
- Try the other door. TELUS has three separate streams. A senior who is refused on the GIS rule may still qualify as a person with a disability, and the other way around.
- Try the other company. TELUS and Rogers both serve Victoria and their rules are not the same. Being told no by one tells you nothing about the other.
- No Connecting Families letter is not a refusal from anyone else. The letter only concerns that one federal program.
- Send it in writing. Email or mail your document with a short note. A written application has to be answered; a phone call can just evaporate.
- Ask why, and write the reason down. "You don't qualify" is not a reason. "Your GIS is below the $6,500 threshold" is, and it tells you which other door to try.
- Ask an advocate. The Victoria Disability Resource Centre helps people get the proof-of-benefit paperwork these programs ask for, and knows who at the ministry to call.
Why people miss this
- The Connecting Families letter goes in the recycling. It has no form in it and no logo you recognise. If you moved, it went to the old address.
- "It's only for families with kids." The TELUS disability stream has no children in it at all, and the senior stream has none either.
- People think they need a doctor's letter. They do not. What these programs want is proof you receive a benefit — a Confirmation of Assistance, a T4A(OAS), a T4A(P).
- Taxes were never filed. The Canada Child Benefit and the Guaranteed Income Supplement both depend on filing. No return means no benefit, and no benefit means no internet discount. Free tax clinics in Victoria will file past years for you.
- "I already have internet with them, so it's too late." Ask anyway. Rogers takes both new and existing customers.
- No email address. Someone else may apply for you, or you can mail the documents.
- The 24-month price ends and nobody notices. The bill quietly goes up and people assume that is just what internet costs now.
- Someone was told no once, years ago. These programs change. The disability stream and the senior stream did not always exist.
Does this affect my PWD or my GIS?
These are discounts on a bill, not money paid to you. Even so, if you are worried about anything on your file, ask your ministry worker or an advocate before you sign up — not the person selling you the internet. A sales agent does not know how provincial disability assistance works, and should not be guessing about your file.
The connection that matters most runs the other way: your PWD or GIS paperwork is the key that opens these programs. Keep a copy of your Confirmation of Assistance or your T4A(OAS) somewhere you can find it.
Where to get help in Victoria
TELUS Internet for Good — the dedicated line, not regular sales
Connecting Families call centre — no letter, or lost the letter
- Rogers Connected for Success — 1-866-689-0758, or cfs.general@rci.rogers.com
- Greater Victoria Public Library, 735 Broughton Street and 11 other branches — free wifi, free computers, free printing. 250-940-4875
- Victoria Disability Resource Centre, 817A Fort Street — help getting the proof-of-benefit documents these programs ask for. 250-595-0044
- BC Employment and Assistance — to get a Confirmation of Assistance statement. 1-866-866-0800
- ReuseTechBC — low-cost refurbished computers. 604-294-6886 extension 1
- 211 — dial 211 any time for other options near you.
Or call the Reachable Line and we will make the calls with you, on speakerphone, at your pace. If you have no reliable phone to be called back on, ask us about a Reachable Number — a permanent number that is yours.
Related guides
Where these numbers come from
Every price, speed and rule on this page comes from a page we read on the date shown. Internet prices change more often than government benefits do, and company programs can be changed or withdrawn at any time. If you are reading this long after the date at the top, phone the numbers above and check before you count on anything.
- Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, Connecting Families Initiative: ised-isde.canada.ca — Connecting Families (read 2 September 2026)
- Connecting Families — Eligibility (maximum Canada Child Benefit; at least 80% of maximum GIS): ised-isde.canada.ca — eligibility (read 2 September 2026)
- Connecting Families — Low-cost plans ($10 and $20 plans, speeds, data, no switching providers): ised-isde.canada.ca — low-cost plans (read 2 September 2026)
- Province of British Columbia, Lower-cost subscription programs (names Connecting Families, Rogers Connected for Success and TELUS Internet for Good as available in BC): www2.gov.bc.ca — lower-cost subscription programs (read 2 September 2026)
- TELUS, Internet for Good and Tech for Good for people with disabilities (eligibility, accepted documents, prices, 24-month term, mailing address, 1-833-323-3338): telus.com — people with disabilities (read 2 September 2026)
- TELUS, Mobility for Good and Internet for Good for seniors (GIS of at least $6,500 in box 21 of the T4A(OAS); $25 and $35 mobile plans; Samsung Galaxy S23 FE; senior internet pricing continues each month): telus.com — seniors (read 2 September 2026)
- TELUS, Connecting for Good programs (which groups Mobility for Good serves; $20 monthly smartphone discount for people living with a disability; Tech for Good does not require you to be a TELUS customer): telus.com — Connecting for Good (read 2 September 2026)
- TELUS, Connecting Families offer (plans, no contract or cancellation fee, credit check, 1-833-323-3338): telus.com — Connecting Families offer (read 2 September 2026)
- Rogers, Connected for Success (Ontario internet and mobile pricing, general eligibility, 1-866-689-0758): rogers.com — Connected for Success (read 2 September 2026)
- Rogers, Connected for Success FAQ (provinces including British Columbia, two-week response, proof resubmitted every two years): rogers.com — Connected for Success FAQ (read 2 September 2026)
- Rogers, Connecting Families program (from $9.99 a month plus tax, 25 Mbps, unlimited data, free installation and modem rental): rogers.com — Connecting Families (read 2 September 2026)
- Rogers, Connected for Success application form 2026 (Connected for Success plans are not eligible for further discounting, including the accessibility discount; authorized user section): rogers.com — eligibility and application (read 2 September 2026)
- Rogers, Accessibility discount offers ($20 a month plus 20 GB; accepted proof including the Disability Tax Credit; how to apply): rogers.com — accessibility offers (read 2 September 2026)
- Rogers, Rogers together with Shaw (former Shaw service in Western Canada is now Rogers): rogers.com — Rogers together with Shaw (read 2 September 2026)
- ReuseTechBC (BC Technology for Learning Society), Request (who qualifies, income under $50,000, device and shipping prices, contact details): reusetechbc.ca — request (read 2 September 2026)
- Greater Victoria Public Library, Book a computer, room or space (walk-in and bookable computers, adaptive computers, one-hour and 15-minute sessions, 25 free pages of printing a day): gvpl.ca — book a computer (read 2 September 2026)
- Greater Victoria Public Library, Accessibility and home page (free library card, 735 Broughton Street, 250-940-4875): gvpl.ca — accessibility (read 1 September 2026)
- Province of British Columbia, My Self Serve and Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction contacts (1-866-866-0800): myselfserve.gov.bc.ca (read 2 September 2026)
- Victoria Disability Resource Centre: drcvictoria.com (read 1 September 2026)
Reachable is not an internet company, a lawyer, or the government. This guide explains public and company programs in plain language so you can go and claim them. Prices and rules belong to the companies that set them and can change without notice.