Sprint Reps To Answer Lifeline Phone Questions At Village Hall

MONTGOMERY, IL — Representatives from Sprint will be at Montgomery's Village Hall Tuesday, Jan. 8, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. to answer questions about the company's participation in the federal Lifeline program for low-income Americans.

Since being signed into law by President Reagan in 1985, the program has provided discounts on phone service to "to ensure that all Americans have the opportunities and security that phone service brings, including being able to connect to jobs, family and emergency services," according to the Federal Communications Commission.

It was expanded to include cell phones by President George W. Bush in 2005.

The program provides subscribers a discount on monthly telephone service purchased from participating providers like Sprint, TracFone and others. Subscribers can receive discounts on either landline or wireless service, including broadband internet.

To qualify, participants must not make more than 135 percent of the federal poverty line, or they must participate in federal assistance programs like Medicaid, SNAP, Section 8 housing assistance, or others. About 46 million households qualify, but only about 13 million actually participate in the program, according to TracFone Wireless.

The program is funded by a service fee tacked on to most cell phone bills in the United States.

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