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Home > Low Income > Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What types of special discounts are available for low-income individuals affected by Hurricane Katrina? A. Eligible households can receive $130 in Lifeline support toward the purchase of a wireless handset and a package of at least 300 minutes of use. If an eligible consumer already owns a wireless handset, he or she may use the $130 in support toward the purchase of additional minutes of use. Eligible households that have been displaced as a result of Hurricane Katrina can receive $30 in Link Up discounts to commence telecommunications service for a single telecommunications connection at their temporary residence. In addition, eligible households can receive $30 in Link Up discounts to commence telecommunications service for a single connection when they return to their primary residence in the Hurricane Katrina disaster area. Q. Who is eligible for the Hurricane Katrina Lifeline and Link Up Assistance? A. Consumers who have been approved for individual FEMA disaster housing assistance or determined by FEMA to be eligible for individual disaster housing assistance relating to Hurricane Katrina who do not have any obligation under FEMA rules to repay FEMA for the support are eligible. A consumer will be required to provide documentary evidence to the eligible telecommunications company providing the discounts to demonstrate that FEMA determined he or she was eligible for individual disaster housing assistance. Support is limited to one Lifeline or Link Up discount per household. Consumers will also have to certify that were residents of counties designated by FEMA as eligible for individual assistance. Q. How is “household” defined? A. For purposes of the Lifeline and Link Up Assistance for consumers affected by Hurricane Katrina, “household” is defined as one adult and his or her dependents, living together in the same residence. Q. Which telecommunications carriers can offer the Hurricane Katrina Lifeline and Link Up Assistance? A. To receive reimbursement from the federal universal service fund for providing discounts to consumers affected by Hurricane Katrina, a company must be designated as an “eligible telecommunications carrier” (ETC). All of the telecommunications carriers that currently receive federal Lifeline and Link Up support are ETCs. If a carrier that has not been designated as an ETC wishes to provide Hurricane Katrina Lifeline and Link Up Assistance to consumers in its service area affected by Hurricane Katrina, the carrier must obtain ETC status by applying to the Federal Communications Commission. See the FCC order for details on applying for this temporary ETC designation. Q. How do eligible consumers apply for Hurricane Katrina Lifeline and Link Up Assistance? A. To obtain the Lifeline benefit of $130 toward a wireless handset and 300 minutes of use, consumers who believe they are eligible should contact the wireless telecommunications carrier serving the area in which they are currently living. Applicants for the Lifeline benefit must certify: that they were residents of a county that was designated by FEMA as eligible for individual assistance; that they are the head of their household; and that they are receiving only one Lifeline special support package. To obtain the Link Up benefit of $30 off the cost of commencing telecommunications service at a temporary residence, consumers who believe they are eligible should contact the telecommunications carrier serving the area in which they are currently living. To obtain the Link Up benefit of $30 off the cost of reconnecting telecommunications service at a permanent residence in the Hurricane Katrina disaster area, consumers who believe they are eligible should contact the telecommunications carrier serving the area in which their permanent residence is located. Applicants for this special Link Up Assistance must certify that they were residents of a county that was designated by FEMA as eligible for individual assistance. Q. Is Hurricane Katrina Lifeline and Link Up Assistance limited to individuals residing in Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana? A. Lifeline assistance is available in any state in which eligible consumers affected by Hurricane Katrina have relocated. Link Up Assistance for commencing telecommunications service to a temporary residence is also available in any state in which eligible consumers have relocated. Link Up Assistance for reconnecting telecommunications service to a permanent residence is available only in counties or parishes defined as the “Hurricane Katrina disaster area.” Q. How is the “Hurricane Katrina disaster area” defined? A. The FCC identified the counties and parishes designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as eligible for individual disaster assistance as the “Hurricane Katrina disaster area” for low income support. These counties and parishes are listed below. Alabama – Baldwin, Mobile, Pickens, Greene, Hale, Tuscaloosa, and Washington. Louisiana – Acadia, Ascension, Assumption, Calcasieu, Cameron, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberia, Iberville, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, Lafourche, Lincoln, Livingston, Orleans, Pointe Coupee, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. James, St. John, St. Mary, St. Martin, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne, Vermilion, Washington, West Baton Rouge, and West Feliciana. Mississippi – Adams, Amite, Attala, Bolivar, Claiborne, Choctaw, Clarke, Copiah, Covington, Forrest, Franklin, George, Greene, Hancock, Harrison, Hinds, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Jones, Kemper, Lafayette, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Leake, Lincoln, Lowndes, Madison, Marion, Neshoba, Newton, Noxubee, Oktibbeha, Pearl River, Perry, Pike, Quitman, Rankin, Scott, Simpson, Smith, Stone, Tippah, Walthall, Warren, Wayne, Wilkinson, Winston, and Yazoo. Q. How long will Hurricane Katrina Lifeline and Link Up Assistance be available? A. A consumer’s application to an ETC for the Lifeline benefit of a free wireless handset and a package of at least 300 minutes must be postmarked by June 1, 2006. Support claims from ETCs to USAC for providing the Lifeline benefit must be postmarked by July 17, 2006. Support claims should be filed on the Sample Letter posted on USAC’s website A consumer’s application to an ETC for Link Up assistance at a temporary or permanent residence must be postmarked by March 1, 2007. An ETC’s support claims filed with USAC for reimbursement for providing Hurricane Katrina Link Up Assistance must be postmarked by April 13, 2007. Support claims should be filed on the Sample Letter posted on USAC’s website. Q. How do eligible telecommunications carriers receive support for providing Hurricane Katrina Lifeline and Link Up Assistance? A. ETCs must submit information pertaining to the discounts they have provided to consumers affected by Hurricane Katrina to USAC. The information should be provided on the Sample Letter posted on this website. Sample letters containing claims for Hurricane Katrina Lifeline or Link Up support should be sent to USAC at:
Sample letters can also be sent via fax to:
Requests for support will be processed only when signed by an officer or employee of the company. Q. Can eligible telecommunications carriers (ETCs) use FCC Form 497 (Lifeline and Link Up Worksheet) to file Hurricane Katrina Lifeline and Link Up support claims? A. FCC Form 497 must be used only for non-Katrina support claims. ETCs seeking Hurricane Katrina Lifeline and Link Up support should use the Sample Letter [link to sample letter] created for this purpose. Q. Can consumers affected by Hurricane Rita or Hurricane Wilma benefit from the FCC’s Hurricane Katrina Lifeline and Link Up support? A. No. Only households eligible for individual FEMA housing assistance as a result of Hurricane Katrina are eligible for this temporary Lifeline and Link Up support. See Areas Eligible for Support on the Low Income Eligibility page. Content Last Modified: March 2, 2006
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