Note 2 : West Kentucky Telephone only
3. BASIC LOCAL EXCHANGE SERVICES 8. Lifeline Assistance Program (Continued)
2. Regulations
A. A customer’s household income must be at or below 135% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines for a household of that size;
a. For purposes of these rules, “income” is defined as all income actually received by all members of a household. This includes salary before deduction for taxes, public assistance benefits, social security payments, pensions, unemployment compensation, veteran benefits, inheritances, alimony, child support payments, worker’s compensation benefits, gifts, lottery winnings, and the like. The only exceptions are student financial aid, military housing and cost-of living allowances, irregular income from
occasional small jobs such as baby-sitting or lawn mowing, and the like.
b. A “household” is any individual or group of individuals ware living together at the same address as one economic unit. A household may include related and unrelated persons. An “economic unit”
consists of all adult individuals contributing to and sharing in the income and expenses of a household. An adult is any person eighteen (18) years or older. If an adult has no or minimal income, and lives with someone who provides financial support to him/her, both people shall be considered part of the same household.
Children under the age of eighteen (18) living with their parents or guardians are considered to be part of the same household as their parents or guardians
B. Each subscriber to Lifeline Assistance must certify in writing to the Company, under penalty of perjury, that he/she receives benefits under a program outlined in sub-paragraph 3.8.2.B.a., below, and must, on the same document, agree to notify the Company if he/she ceases to participate in the program(s). The certification form shall conform to the requirements described herein, and shall be made available upon request to any subscriber. The Company shall retain all such subscriber certifications in order to furnish proof of subscriber eligibility as may be required from time to time by Universal Service administrators.
M1 – Material formerly found on this page now found on Section 3, 1st Revised Page 14.
M2 – Material formerly found on this page now found on Section 3, Original Page 15.
M3 – Material found on this page formerly found on Section 3, Original Page 12.
M4 – Material formerly found on this page now found on Section 3, Original Page 16.
(N) (M1) This text formerly appeared on Section 3 3rd Revised Page 8.
West Tennessee Telephone Company, Inc. TRA Tariff 1 SECTION 3
James Garner (T) 1st Revised Page 14
Vice President Cancels Original Page 14
Issued: 5/25/12 Effective: 6/01/12
3. BASIC LOCAL EXCHANGE SERVICES 3.8. Lifeline Assistance Program (Continued)
2. Regulations (Continued) B. (Continued)
a. Unless other eligibility requirements are established by the Tennessee Regulatory Authority (TRA), Lifeline Assistance is also available to all subscribers who participate in one of the following programs:
(1) TennCare Medicaid,
(2) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), (3) Supplemental Security Income (SSI),
(4) Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF),
(5) Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), (6) Section 8 Federal Public Housing Assistance (FPHA), or (7) National School Lunch Program’s Free Lunch Program.
C.
D. Qualifying subscribers must provide the Company with acceptable documentation as proof of their eligibility to receive Lifeline service under the income-based or program-based requirements. The Company will confirm a subscriber’s continued eligibility to receive Lifeline service on an annual basis by requiring the subscriber to sign a certification to his/her present qualifications for Lifeline service.
Upon a determination of ineligibility, the credit will be discontinued on the bill if the customer fails to provide proof of eligibility within thirty (30) days following written notification to the customer.
E. If the Company receives notification from the program administrator that the subscriber is receiving Lifeline service from another
telecommunications carrier or that more than one member of a
subscriber’s household is receiving Lifeline service, the subscriber will be de-enrolled from Lifeline Assistance without notice within five (5) business days following the Company’s receipt of that notice.
M1 – Material found on this page formerly found on Section 3, Original Page 12.
M2 – Material found on this page formerly found on Section 3, Original Page 13.
(M1)
West Tennessee Telephone Company, Inc. TRA Tariff 1 SECTION 3
James Garner Original Page 15
Vice President
Issued: 5/25/12 Effective: 6/01/12
3. BASIC LOCAL EXCHANGE SERVICES
3.8. Lifeline Assistance Program (Continued) 2. Regulations (Continued)
F. A subscriber may elect at the time of subscription to Lifeline
Assistance to receive toll blocking as part of Lifeline Assistance. "Toll Blocking" is a service that allows a subscriber to elect not to allow the completion of outgoing toll calls from the subscriber's residence.
G. Lifeline Assistance will not be disconnected for non-payment of toll charges, unless first authorized by the TRA.
H. The Company may not collect a service deposit in order to initiate lifeline Assistance if the qualifying low-income subscriber voluntarily elects toll blocking from the Company.
I. One low income credit is available per household and is applicable to the primary residential connection only.
J. A Lifeline customer may subscribe to any local service offering available to other residential customers.
K. The PIC charge will not be billed to Lifeline customers who subscribe to toll blocking and do not presubscribe to a long distance carrier.
L. Lifeline subscribers may apply their Lifeline discount to the Company’s family shared calling plans and to bundled service
packages or packages containing optional calling features available to Lifeline customers. The calling plan must be in the name of the eligible subscriber, and a household may receive only one Lifeline supported service. Partial payments from Lifeline subscribers
purchasing bundled packages or packages containing optional calling features will first be applied to pay down the allocated price of the Lifeline voice services.
M – Material on this page formerly found on Section 3, Original Page 13.
(T)(M)
West Tennessee Telephone Company, Inc. TRA Tariff 1 SECTION 3
James Garner 1st Revised Page 16
Vice President Cancels Original Page 16
Issued: 6/29/12 Effective: 8/01/12
3. BASIC LOCAL EXCHANGE SERVICES 3.8. Lifeline Assistance Program (Continued)
3. Rates and Charges
A. Eligible customers will receive a monthly Federal Lifeline Service Credit of $9.25 * plus a State Lifeline Service Credit of $3.50. The dial tone line and Subscriber Line Charge monthly rate discounts will be reduced to the extent that application of the full discount would not result in rates that are less than zero.
B. The Company shall apply the Federal Lifeline Service Credit received by the administrator of the Federal Lifeline Assistance program to the qualifying customer's basic local exchange service rate.
C. Partial payments that are received from Lifeline customers shall first be applied to local service charges and then to any outstanding toll charges.
D. To participate in the Lifeline Assistance Program, qualified residential customers will be required to subscribe to Residential Local Service as defined in this Tariff with the following provisions:
The Lifeline Program discount on basic local exchange access service shall apply only to residential access lines.
Per Line - Maximum of one line per qualified subscriber
Monthly Rate - Residential Basic Local Exchange Rate, Section 3. Total discount available as approved by the FCC and TRA is $12.75*. The dial-tone line and Subscriber Line Charge monthly rate discounts will be reduced to the extent that application of the full discount would not result in rates that are less than zero.
E. All aspects of Lifeline Assistance shall be subject to the interpretation of applicable Federal regulations and any directives which may, from time to time, be prescribed by the Universal Service Administrative Company.
These rules are separate and apart from any rules prescribed as part of a state Universal Service Program.
F. Eligible Lifeline customers who elect to receive Toll Blocking services will receive a monthly Toll Limitation Service Credit up to $3.00. This credit will not exceed the amount of the Toll Blocking service monthly charge.
* Subject to change based on Federal End User charges.
(T) (I)
West Tennessee Telephone Company, Inc. TRA Tariff 1 SECTION 3
James Garner 1st Revised Page 17
Vice President Cancels Original Page 17
Issued: 9/26/13 Effective: 11/01/13
3. BASIC LOCAL EXCHANGE SERVICES