The US government runs a welfare program called the Lifeline Phone Assistance Program which provides free cell phones or landline phones along with free talk time to the people who normally wouldn’t be able to afford these services. This program comes in two categories. One of them is Lifeline which enables people to save money on phone bills and the other is called Link-Up which reduces the line connection charge of the landline. The Universal Service Fund (USF) provides the necessary funds to run this subsidized program. Federal Communication Commission along with the Universal Service Administration Company (USAC) monitors and administers the activity of USF.
Under Link-Up, you will receive one-time discount of up to $30 on the installation fee of a traditional landline at your residence or activation fee of a wireless phone. You can pay the rest of the fees on installments and the most amazing thing it is all without interest. However, there are some restrictions as well. You can only apply for one connection at a primary residence. Your application won’t be treated warmly. If for some reasons you move to another primary residence, then you can apply for another connection at that residence to enjoy the facilities under the Link Up program.
Additional benefits are complementary to people with low- income salaries and who are members of federally recognized Indian Tribe’s reservation, colony or pueblo; within an Indian allotment; within an Alaska Native region setup by the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act; or within a former reservation of Oklahoma.
You need to fulfill the requirements set by the authority in order to enjoy all these facilities. The government-approved telecom companies provide this service in different states of the country. You can easily find one of the companies in your city. Though the program is run by government, the facilities offered might differ a bit depending on the company you are subscribed to.
