Universal Service Programs for Low-Income or Disabled Consumers

Federal and State of Missouri Lifeline Program

What Kind of Assistance Can I Receive?

Eligible low-income or disabled consumers can receive up to $13.50 in reductions on their telephone bill in the form of a credit against their monthly recurring dial tone charges billed by Kingdom Telephone. This reduction may vary depending on each consumer’s eligibility and applies only to a single telephone line at the qualifying consumer’s principal place of residence.

How Do I Qualify?

To qualify for Low-Income Lifeline in Missouri, a consumer must participate in one of the following programs: Medicaid; Food Stamps; Supplemental Security Income; Federal Public Housing Assistance; Low-income Home Energy Assistance; National School Lunch Program; or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.

To qualify for Disabled Lifeline in Missouri, a consumer must participate in one of the following programs: Federal Social Security Disability Benefits; Federal Supplemental Security Income Benefits; Veterans Administration Benefits; State Blind Pension (pursuant to Section 209.010 to 209.160, RSMo); State Aid to the Blind(pursuant to Section 209.240 RSMo); or State Supplemental Payments(pursuant to Section 208.030 RSMo, Section 660.100.2 RSMo 2000).

Services

Qualifying consumers will receive this assistance on the following services: voice grade access to the public switched network; single-party service; access to emergency services; access to operator services; access to inter-exchange service; access to directory assistance, and voluntary total toll blocking, which prevents the placement of any long distance calls.

Carriers, like Kingdom, providing Lifeline may not collect a service deposit in order to initiate Lifeline services if the qualifying low-income or disabled consumer voluntarily elects toll blocking.

Federal Link-Up Program

What Kind of Assistance is Available?

1. A reduction in Kingdom’s charges for installing telephone service (the reduction is one-half of the company’s charge or $30.00, whichever is less).

2. A deferred payment plan for charges assessed for installing service, for which eligible consumers do not have to pay interest. Eligible consumers are relieved of paying interest charges of up to $200 that are deferred for a period not to exceed one year.

Link-up does not reduce or eliminate any permissible security deposits.

How Do Qualify?

At this time, only consumers meeting the low-income criteria shown above qualify. The named subscriber to the local telecommunication service must participate in these assistance programs in order for that household to receive Link-up support.

Services

The Link-up reduction applies to a single telephone line at an eligible consumer’s principal place of residence. Qualifying consumers may receive the reduction in connection charges more than once only if they change residences.

For additional details call our business office at 800-487-4811 or download a form here.