Published: May 16, 2002

Get Connected With Lifeline

Discount Lifeline Phone Serice Helps Low-Income Californians

A government-sponsored program called "Universal Lifeline Telephone Service" (Lifeline) is offered by all local phone companies in California so that low-income and eligible hearing-disabled people can afford basic phone service. This publication explains the program in detail and lists current eligibility guidelines. (Note: This information pertains only to California residents. Residents of other states can go to www.lifelinesupport.org to find out about low-income telephone assistance programs in their states.)

Get connected with Lifeline

A government-sponsored program called "universal lifeline telephone service" (Lifeline) is offered by all local phone companies in California so that low-income and eligible hearing-disabled people can afford basic phone service. Lifeline, available to all households that meet program guidelines, gives you local phone service for just a few dollars a month.

Apply for Lifeline when you set up new service or switch to it anytime if you are eligible. (There is a small charge if you change to Lifeline after starting service.)

California law requires all companies that provide local phone service to offer Lifeline. Even though millions of Californians receive the Lifeline discount on local phone service, many eligible families are not taking advantage of the program.

What benefits does Lifeline offer?

The Lifeline program can provide eligible households with these benefits:

• A reduced connection fee to begin phone service. Customers pay a fee of $10 or less to start or convert to Lifeline service—and you can pay that in three equal monthly installments.
• More than half off regular monthly phone service rates for local calls (within 12-16 miles, depending on where you live). Lifeline offers you reduced rates on your choice of monthly flat-rate service ($5.34 for unlimited local calling) or measured service ($2.85 for a limited number of calls).
• A second Lifeline connection in your home if you or someone in your household has a qualifying disability.
• There is no deposit required unless you have unpaid phone bills.
• Lifeline customers do not have to pay the monthly $4.40 "end user carrier line" (EUCL) charge.

Connection and installation

Lifeline gives you a discount on connection charges to start your phone service. However, if you do not have a telephone outlet (jack) in your home already, you will have to pay a separate installation charge to the company that puts in your outlet. That is not a discounted Lifeline service.
Under California law, landlords must provide a working jack for each rental unit.

Am I eligible for Lifeline?

To receive the discounts and other benefits provided by Lifeline, you must be able to certify that:

• The before-tax income for your household is at or below the program's income guidelines:

  Household size	Yearly income
  1-2 persons	$19,300
  3 persons	$22,800
  4 persons	$27,400
  5 persons	$32,000
  6 persons	$36,600

  (For each additional person over six people, add $4,600 per person to the income guidelines. Income levels current through May 31, 2003.)

• The Lifeline service will be in your primary residence - not a second home or business.
• You are not a dependent on someone else's income tax return.

Flat rate or measured local service?

Save money by making the right choice. With flat rate service, there is no limit to the number of local calls you make each month. This is the higher-priced local service—consider it only if you make three or more local calls per day, otherwise you might pay for calls you don’t use.
Measured rate service includes a certain number of local calls each month (such as 60) and after they are used up you pay a per-minute rate (such as 8¢) for additional calls. Measured rate service will save you money if you make only a couple local calls each day.

For people with hearing disabilities

If a household member is deaf or hard-of-hearing and your household meets the other Lifeline program guidelines, you may qualify for two phone lines at Lifeline rates. Two lines can help hearing impaired people communicate through a relay service for the deaf or use a text telephone (TTY) or "voice carry over" (VCO) telephone that requires two lines. (VCOs are dual-use telephones that combine a standard telephone with a visual display, allowing people with milder hearing loss to communicate by reading a text display and responding to it by speaking into the receiver.)

In order to qualify for the two-line discount, you must have:

• At least one hearing-disabled person in the household (you or another person).
• A medical certificate of disability that indicates the need for special telecommunications equipment such as a TTY or VCO. The certificate must be submitted to your phone company or to the California Telephone Access Program. (See “For More Information” for contact information.)
• A TTY or VCO phone in your home.
• A phone company service called “3-way calling.”

Toll blocking

The cost of calls outside your local area not covered by Lifeline (such as local toll and long distance calls) can add up fast. If these charges appear on your local bill and you don’t pay them, your phone could be disconnected. Under ordinary circumstances, phone companies will ask you to pay all past-due charges and put down a deposit before you can be reconnected. But if you qualify for Lifeline, you can avoid the deposit by signing up for free toll blocking if it’s available. (If it is not available, your carrier can request a deposit.)

Toll blocking prevents you or anyone else from making long distance or local toll calls from your phone. Toll blocking can be a good way to control your phone costs. You can still receive long distance calls and call toll-free numbers. You can place long distance calls using a prepaid phone card.

Being a Lifeline customer does not protect you from disconnection if you don’t pay your phone bill.

Free Three-Way Calling

While phone companies usually charge a fee for three-way calling, in California it is free to households with a deaf or hearing impaired member.
Three-way calling allows you to talk to two people in two different places at the same time. It is required for two-line VCO communication—you can hear and talk to someone while the relay operator is sending you a text translation of the conversation.

To receive an application for free three-way calling, contact the California Telephone Access Program at (800) 806-1191 (voice) or (800) 806-4474 (TTY).

Getting connected

If you don’t have telephone service and you think you qualify for Lifeline, call your local phone company and tell the representative you are eligible for Lifeline.

Lifeline gives you a discount when you connect or reconnect service. If you think you qualify for Lifeline on your existing phone, call your phone company about enrolling in Lifeline. When you change from basic residential service to Lifeline, there is a small one-time conversion charge.

Annual certification

Lifeline customers are asked each year to certify that they still meet the income guidelines and other requirements. Most companies operate on a self-certification system and send you a form to fill out and return without any proof attached. But the law allows for spot checking, so you could be asked to provide proof at any time.

The annual certification form will be sent separately from your phone bill. Fill it out and return it right away, or you might be removed from Lifeline. If you are asked for certification and/or proof and you don’t provide it in time, the company can bill you for past service at the higher rates.

Household and income

A household is one family or an extended family that lives together as a group. If one or more families share a house, apartment or other living space, each family is eligible for its own Lifeline phone service.

To check if you are eligible for Lifeline, add all wages, salaries, interest, dividends, spousal support, child support, gifts, grants, allowances, stipends, public assistance payments, Social Security benefits, pensions and rental income earned by all family or extended family members. This will be your total household income.

Optional Services

As a Lifeline customer, you can order optional services such as call waiting or caller ID—but you do not get a discount on these services. Before ordering any optional service or group of services, consider whether or not you will use them enough to make the cost worthwhile.

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Keywords

Discount Phone Bills, Lifeline, Sbc, Low Income, Disability, Hard-of-hearing, Flat Rate, Measured Rate,

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SBC Pacific Bell

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Telephone   ♦  

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© 2002 Consumer Action. Rights Reserved.