Lifeline and Link-Up Programs

Discount Local Telephone Service
Lifeline provides a discount of up to $9.25 per month on either a home telephone or a wireless telephone service for low-income participants. You may not receive a discount on both services at the same time. The Lifeline program also supports stand-alone broadband and bundled voice-broadband packages.

The Lifeline program is available to eligible low-income households in every state, territory and commonwealth as well as on tribal lands. A household is any individual or group of individuals who live together at the same address, eating and preparing meals together and contributing to and sharing the living expenses. The Federal Communications Commission does not allow more than one Lifeline service per household.

You may be eligible for Lifeline assistance if you receive federal assistance from one of the programs below:

  • Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
  • Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) 
  • Medicaid
  • Federal public housing assistance (Section 8) 
  • Veterans Pension and Survivors Benefit 
  • Tribal specific programs- Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance, Tribal-Administered Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TTANF) and Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR) and Head Start (if income eligibility requirements are met)

Participants interested in this service must contact their telephone company to apply for this program.

Tribal Lands Lifeline and Link-Up Assistance Programs
Participants who live on federally-recognized tribal lands may qualify for a Lifeline program discount of up to $34.25 per month. The discount can be for either home telephone or wireless telephone service.

This discount may vary from state-to-state, depending on if the state has its own Lifeline program. In addition, participants may qualify through the Link-Up assistance program for a discount of up to $100 off the cost of connecting local telephone service. Participants interested in these services must contact their telephone company to apply for these programs.

The Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) administers the Lifeline/Link-Up Assistance Programs. USAC handles the data collection and maintenance, support calculation, and disbursement for the program.