Telecommunication Assistance Programs

Since 1985, the Lifeline program has provided a discount on phone service for qualifying low-income consumers to ensure that all Americans have the opportunities and security that phone service brings, including being able to connect to jobs, family and emergency services. The Lifeline program is available to eligible low-income consumers in every state, territory, commonwealth, and on Tribal lands.

Lifeline is funded through state and federal Universal Service Funds (USF) as approved by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the State of Utah. These public funds traditionally provided a discount for only monthly phone services to qualified low-income households, however the program was expanded to now allow the choice between discounted phone or internet services.

To learn more about the Lifeline program, visit the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) here .

Federal law limits Lifeline service to one recipient per household except in the case of group homes or multiple families within the same home. It is important for customers to evaluate the different available plans before selecting a provider as the offerings vary significantly.

There are two types of Lifeline service:

• Fixed Lifeline Service: Lifeline home phone or Internet service
• Mobile Lifeline Service: Lifeline mobile phone or Internet service

It is important to understand that in order to obtain Lifeline phone or internet services, applicants must undergo a two-step process:

1. The applicant must verify if they are eligible here .
2. If found eligible, the applicant then must search for service providers here and contact them directly to set up service.

Take your time researching and selecting a provider to ensure that you find the Lifeline offering that best fits your needs at the best price.

The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is a FCC program that helps low-income households pay for internet service and connected devices. You can learn more about the ACP program here and here .

Only one monthly service discount and one device discount is allowed per household. To receive the connected device discount, consumers need to enroll in the ACP with a participating provider that offers connected devices (Note: not all internet companies offer device discounts.) The internet company will provide the discount to the consumer.

There are two types of ACP service:

• ACP Home Internet: ACP home Internet service
• ACP Mobile Internet: ACP mobile Internet service

To obtain ACP services, the application process is the same as the Lifeline two-step process:

1. The applicant must verify if they are eligible here .
2. If found eligible, the applicant then must search for service providers here and contact them directly to set up service.

Take your time researching and selecting a provider to ensure that you find the ACP offering that best fits your needs at the best price.

Note that if you currently receive a Lifeline benefit, you automatically qualify for the ACP, and you can receive both benefits at the same time. You can apply your ACP benefit and your Lifeline benefit to the same or separate services.