Wednesday, October 22, 2008

TELEPHONE SERVICE ASSISTANCE

Did you know that there is help for paying your telephone bill if your financial status is documented as low-income? You would have to do without long distance of course, but you can always purchase a calling card if you really needed to do so. But the most important thing is, you would at least have a phone in your home in case of emergencies. This is extremely important if you are elderly, have dependent children, or need a phone for emergency purposes. When you are going through life changes, just having the ability to call a close friend is comforting.

Lifeline, Link Up, and Toll Limitations Service (TLS) support provides discounts for basic, local telephone service for more than 7 million Americans. There are 1,700 telephone companies that are eligible for this program, and you can apply through your local phone company-(if they participate), by clicking on the following link, http://www.lifelinesupport.org/li/low-income/benefits/default.aspx. Once you click on the link, you will see tabs for Low Income, Low Income Households, a Spanish tab, and a tab for Telecommunications Carriers. You will find information about the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which made it possible for low-income consumers to "have access to telecommunications and information service.."

Personally, I haven't tried this program, but I know programs such as these do work. My son who is now 40-years old, had open heart surgery when he was five. I was on welfare, could not afford his hospital bills, and I was able to get a home phone through my caseworker. The monthly charge was very low, almost next to nothing. The phone was just a basic phone, nothing fancy, but who cares? It worked! So, if you are in need of a home phone, and your income is considered "low," check it out. By the way, with things the way they are in our country presently, you have plenty of company in the "low-income" range. Sadly many people have lost good paying jobs, and it hurts. I know, been laid-off twice, and it is very difficult to climb back up the ladder of success.

When you read the information on this site, please take special note of the "eligibility" requirements. When you click on the following link, this will bring you to the page that lists the requirements, http://www.lifelinesupport.org/li/low-income/eligibility/federal-criteria.aspx. Above the list of the "federal eligibility criteria for Low Income support," there are eight states listed that do not participate in this state-funded discount. For the sake of space, I am unable to list all of the benefits of the program, so take a look around and see if you qualify. You can use this link to find the telephone company in your area that participates in this program: http://www.lifelinesupport.org/li/low-income/lifelinesupport/browser/. You are even allowed to use a cell phone with this program, however, you would have to purchase the land line and the cell phone. It is worth a try if you are in need of home phone service. And you may be required to set up the initial service for both. And of course, if you don't pay your monthly statement, you will be back to square one, no phone. We live in a crazy world, you never know when you may to call for help, so give it a try today.



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