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Having access to a telephone is an integral part of daily life and can often be taken for granted by most, but for some individuals, particularly low-income individuals (including seniors and people with disabilities) access to a telephone can be a luxury, not a privilege. However, some new public safeguards have been put into place to help ensure that those who are most economically fragile now have access to the same privileges as other citizens.

The Low Income Program of the Universal Service Fund, which is administered by the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC), helps eligible low-income consumers establish and maintain telephone service by discounting basic, local service provided by local telephone companies. Consumers apply for the discounts through their local telephone company or designated agency.

Safelink Wireless also runs a program that provides free cell phones and minutes to income eligible consumers, often based on a person’s participation in a state or federal support program or by meeting the Federal U.S Poverty Guidelines.

To learn more about any of these lifeline programs, visit http://www.lifeline.gov/lifeline_Consumers.html.

And lastly, the Maryland Department of Information Technology oversees the Maryland Accessible Telecommunications (MAT) program that provides free assistive telecommunications equipment to qualifying Maryland residents. MAT provides free TTY’s, amplified phones and more to applicants who have a disability that makes using a standard phone difficult.

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