The decisions you should make when searching for a long distance provider and long distance phone company

The first rule when searching for a long distance provider should be to always comparison shop. Don't settle for one long distance provider because you have been with them for a while or because you think there are no better rates from a long distance phone company. You can compare the rates that the long distance provider is offering and save money. You can get discount long distance rates and compare one long distance provider to another.

A long distance provider simply allows you to make your long distance phone calls. Your long distance provider is the entity that bills you and gives your customer support. For the most part, that is all they do. The service you get from long distance provider "x" or long distance phone company "z" is all the same. You can decide what plan is best for you.

We encourage you to do plenty of research before you finally decide on a long distance provider. Choosing a long distance provider is not brain surgery, but if you make the wrong decision, it can cost you a lot of money. Choose your long distance provider by finding discount long distance rates .

Long Distance Provider: Universal Service Program For Low-Income Consumers

The Low-Income program provides discounts on telephone installation and monthly telephone service to qualifying consumers. Telephone service is considered a necessity for daily modern life, yet the cost of activating and maintaining such service may be prohibitively expensive for low-income consumers. Under Congressional mandate, the Federal Communication Commission's (FCC) federal Universal Service Fund includes the Low-Income program. Below are frequently asked questions about the Low-Income program.

What Benefits Are Available Under The Low-Income Program?

• Link-Up helps qualified low-income consumers to initiate telephone service. This federal program offsets one-half of the initial hook-up or connection fee, up to $30.00. The program also includes a deferred payment schedule for these charges.
  
  
• Lifeline provides certain discounts on monthly service for qualified telephone subscribers. These amounts range from $6.75 to $9.50 per month, depending on the actions of authorities in your state.
  
  
• Residents of Native American Indian and Alaska Native tribal communities may qualify for enhanced Lifeline support (up to an additional $25.00 in support beyond current levels) and expanded Link-Up support (up to $70.00 in additional support beyond current levels).

How Do You Qualify For Life-Line And LinkUp Discounts?

The Lifeline and Link-Up programs are available to qualifying consumers in every state, territory, and commonwealth. Qualifications for participating in the Low-Income program vary by state. States that have their own State Lifeline program have their own criteria. In states that rely solely on the federal Low-Income program, the named subscriber must participate in one of the following programs: Medicaid, food stamps, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), federal public housing assistance, or the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).

There are additional programs in which low-income consumers living on tribal lands may participate in order to be eligible for Lifeline and Link-Up. They are: Bureau of Indian Affairs general assistance, Tribally-Administered Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Head Start (income-qualifying standard), or the National School Lunch Program's Free Lunch Program.

For information about these programs and to determine whether you qualify for discounts under the Low-Income program, call your local telephone company or your state regulatory agency. The telephone number for your state regulatory agency can be found on the Web site of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners.

How Does The Low-Income Program Work?

The carrier must receive certification from the consumer that he or she qualifies for the Lifeline or LinkUp program.

Using Federal Universal Service funds, the telephone company provides discounts on the consumer's telephone bill.

Who Pays For The Low-Income Program?

The Low-Income program is part of the FCC's federal Universal Service Fund. All telecommunications carriers that provide service between states and internationally pay contributions into the Fund. The FCC makes payments from this central fund to support the Low-Income program, as well as three other Universal Service programs (High-Cost, Schools and Libraries, and Rural Health Care).

Some consumers may notice a "Universal Service" line item on their telephone bills. This occurs when a telephone company chooses to recover its contributions directly from its customers through a line-item charge on telephone bills. The FCC does not require this. Each company makes a business decision about whether and how to assess customers to recover its Universal Service costs.