Lifeline and Tribal Link Up Programs

Lifeline Program

The Lifeline program is a government program established by the FCC and the Texas Public Utility Commission to make monthly telephone service more affordable.

Btel provides a federal Lifeline discount up to $9.25 per month, and a state discount up to $4.03 per month for each qualifying service or household under the Lifeline program. Btel is proud to offer the Lifeline discount on all of its voice service offerings or qualifying broadband service offerings, including any bundles.

A customer’s household is eligible for the Lifeline Program discount if that customer’s annual household income is at or below 150% of the federal poverty guidelines, or if the customer, a dependent, or the customer’s household participates in one or more of the following:

  • Medicaid
  • Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly Food Stamps
  • National School Lunch free lunch program
  • Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
  • Federal Public Housing Assistance (FPHA)
  • Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
  • Health benefits coverage under the state Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
  • Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)

Eligible households may only have Lifeline on one wireless telephone, one broadband service or one wireline telephone, discounts are not eligible and cannot be applied to multiple services. Lifeline customers may not transfer their Lifeline discount to another person.

For more information, contact Lite Up Texas at 1-866-454-8387 or www.liteuptexas.org.

Tribal Lifeline and Link Up

In addition to the Lifeline Program discounts described above, Btel will provide an additional discount of up to $25 per month for eligible households on federally recognized Tribal Lands.

Eligible households on federally recognized Tribal Lands also may receive Link Up assistance and a discount of up to $100 on the initial hook up and activation charges for telephone. Customers may only receive Tribal Link Up one time per address.

Customers are eligible for Tribal Lifeline and Link Up if their households on federally recognized Tribal Lands and:

  1. The customer’s total household income is at or below 150% of the federal poverty guidelines; or
  2. The customer, a dependent, or the customer’s household participates in one of the qualifying programs listed above; or
  3. The customer, a dependent, or the customer’s household participates in BIA General Assistance, Head Start (income eligible only), Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, or Tribal TANF.

Eligible households may only have Tribal Lifeline on one wireless telephone or one wireline telephone, not both. Lifeline customers may not transfer their Lifeline discount to another person even if the other person is eligible. For Link Up assistance, contact the Btel business office at 903-854-1000.

For more information, contact Lite Up Texas at 1-866-454-8387 or www.liteuptexas.org.