Office of the Ohio Consumers' Counsel

Message from the Consumers' Counsel:

Lifeline program provides eligible consumers with telephone assistance 

With the economy causing many consumers to struggle paying their monthly expenses, it is important they understand the Lifeline telephone assistance program. The Lifeline program is offered by local telephone companies throughout Ohio and provides key benefits to eligible consumers, including:

• A monthly discount off the price of basic local telephone service;
• A waiver of installation and connection charges for new service; and
• Removal of deposit requirements.

Lifeline telephone assistance is available to consumers at or below 135 or 150 percent of the federal poverty level, depending on which telephone company serves them. Lifeline also is available to customers participating in one of several federal or state assistance programs. These include Medicaid, Food Stamps, Supplement Security Income, Section 8 Public Housing Assistance, Home Energy Assistance Programs or the National School Free Lunch Program.

 For the largest local telephone companies in Ohio - including AT&T, Cincinnati Bell, CenturyLink (Embarq and CenturyTel) and Verizon - the eligibility is 150 percent of the federal poverty level. A family of three would qualify with an annual income at or below $27,465.

 Large companies' Lifeline programs also offer assistance for residential consumers whose telephone service has been disconnected due to nonpayment. The customer can have telephone service reconnected after making a $25 down payment towards the past due balance. Special payment arrangements are then made to ensure the balance is paid off within six months.

New legislation, Senate Bill 162 and House Bill 276, has been introduced in the Ohio General Assembly that could have a negative effect on telephone customers. Among the proposed changes is a shifting of the cost of some Lifeline programs from the companies to their customers. The large telephone companies currently are required to contribute $3.50 per month per Lifeline customer as a trade-off for being able to raise the price of many telephone features.

Under the proposed legislation, these costs could be passed on to all non-Lifeline customers as a new fee on their monthly telephone bills. In addition, the requirements for large telephone companies to market the Lifeline program throughout the year would be drastically reduced. This could mean that potential Lifeline customers may not learn about the program.

Lifeline provides a vital resource for residential consumers who need assistance to stay connected or be reconnected to local telephone service. The Office of the Ohio Consumers' Counsel (OCC) encourages Ohioans to find out if they are eligible, especially in tough economic times with household budgets stretched thin.

To obtain more information about telephone assistance programs, consumers can contact their local telephone company or call the OCC, the residential utility consumer advocate, toll free at 1-877-PICKOCC (1-877-742-5622).

Best regards,

Janine L. Migden-Ostrander