RuralAlaska2021TelAlaska

AlaskaRelay & Lifeline/Linkup Community Assistance

Dial 7-1-1 To Place A Relay Call What Is AlaskaRelay? AlaskaRelay service provides telephone accessi- bility to people who are deaf, hard-of-hearing or speech-disabled. AlaskaRelay is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, with no restrictions on the number of calls placed or on the length of the calls. AlaskaRelay provides state-of-the-art technology, a full range of features, and highly trained profes- sional communication assistants (CAs) to ensure that users are able to communicate easily and effectively – every time they place a relay call. This 24-hour relay service is provided at no cost to call- ers. Long distance calls will be billed accordingly.

dents who are deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind or speech-disabled are eligible to receive special- ized telephone equipment through the equipment Distribution Program at CSD at minimal or no cost. For more information on how to obtain spe- cialized telephone equipment in your area, call the Assistive Technology of Alaska (ATLA) Office at (800) 723-2852 (toll free) or (907) 561-2592 TTY, or email atla@atlaak.org . Confidentiality And Ethics AlaskaRelay is strictly confidential. All calls will be kept private, and no records of any conversations will be maintained. CAs will not share information regarding the contents of any relay calls. All calls and information are 100% confidential. For more information – Check our web site at www.AlaskaRelay.com

What Equipment Do I Need To Use Relay?

The most common telephone device used to make a relay call is a TTY (text telephone). There are other telephone devices available, depending on the type of relay services used. Alaska resi-

Free Phone Service Federal Lifeline and Linkup Programs from Interior and Mukluk Telephone

If you participate in one of the following programs, you may be eligible to receive basic local telephone service at no cost to you. Lifeline is a government assistance program and documentation from one of these services is required for enrollment. For more information, please visit www.checklifeline.org or call 800-234-9473.

• Supplemental Security Income (SSI) • Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as Food Stamps • Medicaid • Federal Public Housing Assistance • Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance • Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations

• Tribally-administered Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) • Head Start Programs (only those meeting its income qualifying standard) • You can now qualify if your income is at or below 135% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. • Veterans Pension or Survivors Benefit Program

The Federal Lifeline Program is a reduction in charges for residential telephone service that could reduce your monthly charge for landline service to $0. This discount does not apply to additional features such as custom calling features, CLASS features, or restriction services, taxes or surcharges. The Expanded Linkup Program is a reduction in the initial connection charges to qualifying low-income customers. The program includes a 100% discount off the initial connection charges up to $100. The maximum discount amount is $100. This does not include charges for services or equipment that fall on the customer’s side of the grey protector box including customer premise equipment and inside wiring. Lifeline is available for only one line per household and households are not permitted to receive benefits from multiple providers. Violation of the one-per-household requirement could result in de-enrollment from the program and potential prosecution by the U.S. government. Interior Telephone 1-800-478-3127 | Mukluk Telephone 1-800-478-7055 For an application, please visit www.telalaska.com/lifeline.

8