1. Lifeline Discounted Service
This service provides a flat rate federal discount of $9.25, consisting of a $6.50 reduction of the Federal Subscriber Line Charge and a $2.75 reduction in the monthly rate for local exchange telephone service for residential customers. Qualified customers may choose any type or grade of local telephone service, including bundled services that are normally offered by the Company. The Company’s voice lifeline plan includes unlimited local minutes-of-use within the toll-free calling area. The Company’s voice lifeline plan does not include any free minutes-of-use for toll unless a “bundled minutes” package is chosen.
1A. Additional Lifeline Discount
This service provides the discount as outlined above and may provide an additional discount equal to the serving company’s increase in residential basic local exchange service, as authorized by the NYS Department of Public Service in Case No. 07-C-0349, released March 4, 2008, whereby the NY Commission authorized certain companies to increase basic local service rates up to $2.00 per year for 2 years. The discount can be found on Addendum 1 of the individual Company tariff for those companies offering the Additional Lifeline Discount.
Qualified customers may choose to apply the federal Lifeline credit to any of the company’s local service offerings, including any local bundled service offering, basic local service, or message rate service. Message rate Lifeline service is available only where central office facilities permit. For connection of new service, service connection charges apply unless the customer qualifies for connection assistance under the Tribal Lands Link Up program.
Service connection charges do not apply to change existing service from:
- Message or flat rate services to Lifeline service.
- Lifeline service to non-Lifeline services.
2. Regulations
These services are restricted to low income residential customers. To qualify for Lifeline service a customer must certify and provide documentation as income eligible. For a consumer to be eligible under the income requirements, the consumer’s household income as defined in § 54.400(f) of the FCC Rules must be at or below 135% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines for a household of that size or a recipient of benefits from any one of the following Entitlement Programs:
- Medicaid;
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) F/K/A Food stamps;
- Supplemental Security Income;
- Federal Public Housing Assistance (Section 8);
- Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP);
- National School Lunch Program’s free lunch program;
- Temporary Assistance for Needy Families/SafetyNet;
- Veterans Disability Pension
- Veterans Surviving Spouse Pension
The Lifeline discount is effective upon receipt of a completed form of eligibility. If the form is not returned, no further action is taken by the Company to establish eligibility.
The Company, in coordination with appropriate agencies and the Lifeline Customer, will require Lifeline customers to be re-certified, on an annual basis. Lifeline customers will need to certify that they continue to be eligible to receive these Lifeline benefits and that they are not receiving benefits from another company. If, a customer is identified as being ineligible, the customer will be notified that unless the information is shown to be in error, the Lifeline discount will be discontinued. The customer will be billed for discounts received for the time that they were proven to be ineligible for the service.
3. Locality Charge Waiver
Customers receiving Lifeline Telephone Service will have applicable locality charges waived each month while they are receiving the Lifeline Assistance.
4. Voluntary Toll Blocking (Restriction)
Customers receiving Lifeline service can voluntarily request and receive toll blocking (call restriction), third number billing/collect call restriction without a monthly charge. There will be no record order charge to add these types of restrictions (blocking).
