The Lifeline program in Connecticut will give people who have a low income a break on their monthly home or cell phone bills. The federal government benefit will only cover one unit per household. There are a number of restrictions in place, including:
The goal of Lifeline is to ensure that families with lower to moderate incomes have access to telephone service. Some examples of households that are enrolled in the state of Connecticut include homes with senior citizens and families that are considered to be working poor. Some disabled families may qualify for a program called Lifeline which provides discounted phone service.
Terms of telephone assistance in Connecticut
Most phone companies allow customers to sign up. Some of the main service providers in the state include AT&T, Safelink, and Verizon. A customer should always call their phone company to ask about fees. If someone has questions about enrolling, they should contact their local service office.
If someone gets help from Lifeline, their phone bill will be cheaper. This means that you can save $10-$20 each month. Not only can Lifeline or the Connecticut Telephone Connection Assistance Program (CTCAP) usually pay for a portion of the fee to start a phone service, but they can also help with other fees.
One phone is allowed per household. The applicant can either use a cell or home telephone, not both. The number of people living in the house is not relevant. Every residence is only allowed one phone. This means that a household can only receive the Lifeline discount from one phone or internet service provider.
The FCC-supported program only pays for basic service. This means that you will not be able to use international long distance or call waiting. Some companies, such as Safelink, will provide text messaging as part of Lifeline, but this is not common and is not a requirement in Connecticut as this is considered to be above and beyond what is needed by the customer.
Assistance with telephone bills is only available for residents in Connecticut who have very low incomes. They usually need to have an income at about 150% of federal poverty levels, when factoring in the number of people that live in the home. This means that for a family of four, their income would need to be about $36,000. The more people in a household, the higher their income can be. If the applicant lives on a set income each month, they may qualify for the discount.
If your family in Connecticut receives state benefits like Medicaid, LIHEAP, or food stamps, you can automatically enroll in the Lifeline program. This means that people who receive public aid are automatically considered to be qualified for food stamps.
The client must tell the phone company if their income changes or they no longer meet the requirements for this program. This needs to happen within 30 days or less. However, the state of Connecticut will also require everyone to reapply for the Lifeline program after 12 months, as the program is intended to provide temporary relief from phone bills.
Lifeline can help a family with their telephone bills, but it is not a long-term solution. There are many other limitations that the state has put in place. If you want to learn more about this topic or even try it out, you should call your phone company. They can help you with your Lifeline application and answer any questions you have.
In order to apply, residents should contact their telephone company. If someone is unfairly denied, they should call (860) 713-6100 to reach the Connecticut Consumer protection agency in Hartford.