Enhanced Tribal Benefit

Low-income consumers on qualifying Tribal lands can receive a Lifeline discount of up to $34.25 per month on the cost of phone, internet, or bundled services, and up to a $100 reduction for first-time connection charges for voice service at their primary residence.

Enhanced Monthly Support

Lifeline is a federal benefit that lowers the monthly cost of phone, internet, or bundled services. Low-income consumers who qualify for enhanced Lifeline support and live on Tribal lands can receive a discount of up to $25 per month in addition to the standard federal benefit of up to $9.25 per month.

Service providers must pass the full Tribal lands support amount through to the subscriber.

Link Up

Link Up assistance provides a discount of up to $100 off the customary charge for the initial set up of voice only service at a Tribal Lifeline subscriber’s primary residence. Link Up is available to subscribers who reside on Tribal lands and use a facilities-based service provider that receives High Cost program support. Link Up is a one-time benefit per address; subscribers can request Link Up once for each change of primary residential address.

For service initiation charges of up to $200, Link Up also provides a deferred, no-interest payment plan to the subscriber for up to one year.

Before providing Link Up to the consumer, service providers must check the National Lifeline Accountability Database (NLAD) to confirm whether the consumer previously received a Link Up benefit at their address.

Qualifying Tribal Lands

Providers and consumers can use the Tribal Lands Verification Tool to determine if a consumer’s home address is on qualifying Tribal lands.

For a nationwide map showing all Tribal lands eligible for enhanced Lifeline support, view the Eligible Tribal Lands for the Lifeline program map and the shapefile of Tribal lands.

These resources are for informational purposes only and do not establish a consumer’s eligibility for the Lifeline benefit.

Tribal Partner Resources

Lifeline provides Tribal partners with access to the National Verifier to help consumers submit online Lifeline applications, upload eligibility or other documentation (as needed), and track the status of applications.

For more information on how to receive access to either system, review the Account Types page.

Resolve System Errors Related to Tribal Benefit

National Verifier

If a consumer who is seeking the Tribal benefit receives an Address Management Service (AMS) error, they must provide USAC with coordinates, or information that allows USAC to determine coordinates, to validate that they live on Tribal lands.

To help consumers resolve AMS errors during the application process, review the National Verifier AMS Resolution Guide.

NLAD

To enroll a consumer in NLAD for the Tribal benefit, select “Yes” for NLAD’s “Lifeline Tribal Benefit?” field.

If this process results in an error, please visit the Dispute Resolution webpage for more information on how to resolve errors associated with the Tribal Benefit flag during the enrollment process.

Additional Resources

Upcoming Teleconferences

USAC’s Lifeline team and Tribal Liaison host quarterly Tribal Teleconferences to ensure Tribal Stakeholders remain informed about any applicable program changes or updates.

Educational Material for Tribal Consumers

For more information about how Tribal consumers can apply and manage their benefit, review the Tribal Flyer
Download the Tribal Toolkit for a compilation of educational resources about the Lifeline program for Tribal consumers

Enhanced Tribal Benefit

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