Federal Help For Those Struggling Through Financial Hardship – Government Help On Telephone And Internet Services
Lifeline is a federal program that lowers the monthly cost of your phone and internet service. Eligible customers can receive discounts towards their telephone or internet bill.
You can only use Lifeline for either phone or internet service, but not both.
Only one Lifeline discount is allowed per “independent economic household”.
Definition of Household
A household is a group of people who live together and share money – even if they are unrelated.
If you live together and share money, you are one household. If you live together and don’t share money, you are 2+ households.
Someone in My Home Already Gets Lifeline
If you live with another adult who gets Lifeline and you want your own, ask your company for a Household Worksheet. In most cases, you will be able to fill out the Household Worksheet online.
The worksheet asks about your relationship with the other adult(s) to count the number of households. After you complete the worksheet, your company will resubmit your application.
Your application will be approved if the worksheet shows there is more than one household at your address.
The Minimum Service Standards
Your telephone company is required to meet these standards for Lifeline-supported services:
- For cell phones: At least 1000 minutes
- For mobile internet (a data plan): Speed of 3G or better and usage of at least 4.5 GB per month
- For home internet: Speed of 25/3 Mbps and usage of at least 1024 GB per month
For bundled service offerings: at least one of the services (voice or internet) must meet the minimum service standards to qualify for a Lifeline discount.
Hotspot-Enabled Device Required.
You must have at least one device with hotspot functionality available for data plans.
Choose Which Service Uses Lifeline.
If you are buying a bundle, you can choose to apply Lifeline to the voice or the internet service.
How to Transfer Your Lifeline Benefit
You may need to reapply through the National Verifier to confirm you are still eligible before your company can transfer your benefit. When your new company is ready to transfer your benefit, they will need this information to process the request.
