South Carolina LIFELINE AND LINK-UP Programs

Do you need a phone? Are you having trouble paying your telephone bills?

If so, you may be eligible to take advantage of two special programs that help reduce the cost of phone service.

LIFELINE Assistance and LINK-UP can help qualified customers get phone service and pay their bills. These are public programs implemented by local telephone companies that help eligible households pay for basic telephone installation costs and monthly services or monthly wireless telephone plans.

The LIFELINE assistance program provides a monthly credit of $13.50 on a residential landline telephone bill, or an $8.25 monthly credit on a wireless bill. LINK-UP provides a 50 percent reduction of the installation and service charges (up to $30) to qualifying residential customers. On wireless accounts, the LINK-UP credit is $18.00 for a free-standing account and $9.00 for the master line of a FamilyTalk account.

You may qualify for LIFELINE and LINK-UP if you receive one of the following:

  • Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
  • Food Stamps
  • Medicaid

For more information, call HTC at 365-2154 or call the Office of Regulatory Staff at 1-866-788-6565 and ask about LIFELINE and LINK-UP. Your case manager at the Department of Social Services (DSS) or the Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) can also give you more information.

LIFELINE Q & A:

How much can I save?
You will save up to $13.50 on your basic monthly bill for residential landline services and $8.25 on your monthly bill for wireless services.

How do I know if I am eligible?
You may be eligible for the Lifeline Program if you receive Medicaid, Food Stamp assistance, or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).

Are there any restrictions?
Lifeline can only be used for the primary telephone line or wireless service in a household. You may purchase additional services available to a non-Lifeline customer. The name on the phone bill must match the name of the household member participating on the eligible program.

How do I apply?
Stop by any HTC Business Office and present your photo ID with a copy of your Medicaid Card, Food Stamp Card, or proof of TANF. You will be asked to complete a Lifeline Assistance Application certifying that you are eligible for the Lifeline Program.

What proof of eligibility do I need to provide?
Certifying agencies (any HTC Business Office, Office of Regulatory Staff, or your local DSS or DHHS case manager) can assist you in determining your eligibility. You will be asked to provide proof of your eligibility by submitting a form signed under penalty of perjury that you receive benefits from one of the qualifying programs and you will also need to provide a copy of any dated document which verifies your participation in one of the qualifying programs.

How do I continue to receive Lifeline benefits?
Lifeline recipients are reviewed monthly by the State. The State notifies HTC which Lifeline customers are no longer eligible to receive the Lifeline benefits. HTC notifies the customer that the Lifeline credit will be removed from their account. If the customer believes he/she is eligible, the customer must be recertified by the Office of Regulatory Staff or a certifying agency (DSS or DHHS) before the discount can be added back to the customer's account.

Link Up Q & A:

What is Link Up?
Link Up helps households reduce the cost of initiating telephone service. This program pays some of the cost of connecting local telephone service to your home. However, Link Up does not cover the cost of wiring inside your home.

How much will I save?
Link Up will pay 50% of your installation charges for total discount of $30.00. On wireless accounts, the LINK-UP credit is $18.00 for a free-standing account and $9.00 for the master line of a FamilyTalk account.

How do I know if I am eligible?
If you qualify for Lifeline, you also qualify for Link Up.

Are there any restrictions?
You must provide proof of eligibility before telephone service can be activated. Link Up can only be used for the charges for activating a primary telephone line or moving existing service to a new address. Charges related to wiring and telephone jacks within your home and wireless handsets are not eligible for the Link Up discount.

How do I apply?
To apply for Link Up you will follow the same application process as Lifeline and the same proof of eligibility as Lifeline.

Being a Lifeline or Link Up customer does not protect you from being disconnected if you fail to pay your telephone bill.

Lifeline and Link Up discounts cannot be applied to an outstanding balance owed to your phone company.

Lifeline can only be applied to one residential telephone or wireless service per household.

Lifeline is available on one service (either wireless or landline); only one line per household. Proof of eligibility must be given before service can be activated.

For additional information about Lifeline and Link-Up, you may contact the Office of Regulatory Staff at 803-737-5234 or Toll Free at 1-866-788-6565.