Landlines Remain Important to Home Emergency Planning
STAMFORD, Conn., Sep 16, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) —
The Federal Communications Commission, the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners and the National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates have designated September 13-19, 2010 as “National Telephone Discount Lifeline Awareness Week.”
The designation is an effort to raise awareness of landline telephone payment assistance available to qualifying low-income California residents as part of two federal support programs. These programs, “California LifeLine” and “Link-Up,” are available through Frontier Communications (NYSE:FTR, news, filings).
- California LifeLine is a plan that assists qualified low-income customers by providing a monthly credit on their telephone bill.
- “Link-Up” is an assistance plan that helps qualified low-income customers pay for the installation of basic telephone service by reducing connection charges by 50 percent, or $30, whichever is less.
The California LifeLine program also exempts qualified applicants from paying a service deposit as applicable toward basic service charges.
“This landline telephone assistance plan is available to qualifying California residents,” said Ken Gaffga, State Vice President and General Manager. “Frontier wants to let low-income customers know about these programs, and encourage eligible customers to apply.”
California residents can qualify for LifeLine in one of two ways:
1) If at least one member of a household is enrolled in any of the following public assistance programs:
- Medicaid/Medi-Cal
- Women, Infants, and Children Program (WIC)
- Healthy Families Category A
- Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
- Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
- Federal Public Housing Assistance or Section 8
- Food Stamps or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
- National School Lunch’s FREE Lunch Program (NSL)
- Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), also called:
- California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs)
- Stanislaus County Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (StanWORKs)
- Welfare-to-Work (WTW)
- Greater Avenues for Independence (GAIN)
- Tribal TANF
- Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance
- Head Start Income Eligible (Tribal Only)
2) If the total gross household income is at or less than these income limits:
| Household Size | Annual Income Limit | |||||||
| 1-2 members | $24,000 | |||||||
| 3 members | $28,200 | |||||||
| 4 members | $34,000 | |||||||
| Each additional member | Add $5,800 to $34,000 | |||||||
| Effective 06/01/10 to 05/31/11 | ||||||||
The following conditions are required for the Lifeline and Link-Up programs:
| 1) | Telephone service must be listed in your name; | |||||
| 2) | You cannot be listed as a dependent on another person’s tax return; and | |||||
| 3) | Telephone service must be in your primary residence (not a business or second home). |
To learn more about low-income telephone assistance plans specific to California, contact Frontier by visiting www.frontier.com and clicking on “Discount Programs.” Frontier can provide you with an application, or direct you to the appropriate state agency to facilitate the process.
According to Gaffga, “LifeLine and Link-Up are great ways to ensure that all California households can take advantage of the benefits of a landline phone. For example, E911 is a vital service offered via landline that cannot be fully duplicated using cell phones. Corded landline phones that do not require alternating current (AC) power for dial tone also work even when the power is out, a critical component of any home emergency plan.” Gaffga notes, “Frontier offers a wide array of digital phone and wireless services, but when it comes to safety and security, many customers still rely on their landlines when it comes to power outages, 911 emergency calls, alarm monitoring services and call quality.” Basic landline service also allows many consumers to choose a less expensive package of cell phone minutes, which helps the family budget.
About Frontier Communications
Frontier Communications Corporation (NYSE: FTR) offers voice, High-Speed Internet, satellite video, wireless Internet data access, data security solutions, bundled offerings, specialized bundles for small businesses and home offices, and advanced business communications Access Solutions for medium and large businesses in 27 states and with approximately 14,800 employees. Frontier is included in the S&P 500 Index and is the largest provider of communications services to rural America. More information is available at www.frontier.com and www.frontier.com/ir.
SOURCE: Frontier Communications Corporation
Media
Frontier Communications
Stephanie Beasly,916-691-5666
Communications Manager
stephanie.beasly@ftr.com
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