Tennessee Regulatory Authority (TRA)
Sara Kyle, Chairman

To ensure that telephone service is available and affordable for low income telephone subscribers, the TRA established the Link-up and Lifeline Telephone Assistance Programs. Now with additional ways to qualify, the Link-up and Lifeline programs are even more available to those who need it most.

• Link-up will pay half of the installation charges for new telephone service, to a maximum of $30.00. To further reduce the initial cost to establish new telephone service, contact your local telephone company and ask that the remaining balance of the installation charge be divided over a period of months.You will not be required to pay a deposit if you request a “Local Service Only” and “Long distance Block” when connecting service under Link-up.
• Lifeline will save you up to $13.50/per month on the local service portion of the telephone bill. This program will not assist with long distance charges or special features such as Caller ID or Call Waiting.  

Who is eligible for Link-up and Lifeline?

The qualifications for Link-up and Lifeline are the same.

• You automatically qualify if you are enrolled in any ONE of the following public assistance programs: Food Stamps, Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), National Free School Lunch, or live in Section 8 Federal housing (Section 8 only, Hud and other federal program may not automatically qualify).

How Do You Apply?

There are two ways to apply depending on how you qualify.

• If you qualify for any public assistance program, call your local telephone service provider. Your local telephone company will provide you with an link-up and lifeline application or request proof that you receive one of the above benefits.

OR...

• If you “DO NOT” receive public assistance, you may qualify if your total household gross monthly income is equal or less than the amounts found in the Gross Monthly Income table (bottom of page), click the TRA Link-up and Lifeline Application link to download an application. The application is an Adobe PDF document (Adobe Reader can be downloaded free of charge from Adobe's website). Print the TRA application, fill it out, attach proof of your gross monthly income, and mail it to:

Tennessee Regulatory Authority
Consumer Services Division
460 James Robertson Parkway
Nashville, TN 37243-0505
1-877-691-2969 (voice)
1-888-276-0677 (TTY)
615-741-8953 (fax)

Gross Monthly Income Table Use To Qualify Based On Income

# of Household Members	*Monthly Income 135% of the Federal Poverty Level
1	$1,217
2	1,638
3	2,060
4	2,480
5	2,901
for each additional person add	420

* BASED ON THE 2009 FEDERAL REGISTER FOR POVERTY LEVEL INCOME STANDARDS (PLIS).

The TRA encourages qualifying Tennessee residents to apply for the Link-up and Lifeline Telephone Assistance programs and take advantage of the available discounts. For more information concerning the TRA's Telephone Assistance Programs, please contact the TRA at 1-877-691-2969.