Gila River Telecommunications, Inc. (GRTI) is going door-to-door to get tribal members to sign up for $1 (one dollar) telephone service. How can they afford this? There is a great new federal program called Enhanced Lifeline which is specifically for house holds on Indian reservations. The households can receive a discount on their telephone bills if they meet the qualifications. This means they can get basic telephone service for $1 (one dollar) a month. Clinton made a promise to get telephone service on the reservation for $1 a month and this is it, Enhanced Lifeline. Telephone companies that serve Indian reservations are not advertising this new program, but it's available and Native Americans on reservations need to take advantage of it.
Telephone service across this nation is about an average of 94%, but on Indian reservations, it averages from 20% to maybe 65%. On the Gila River Indian Community, which owns GRTI, the telephone penentration rate is 50%. One out of two homes has a phone, which is very low for national standards, but typical in Indian country.
GRTI joined four other tribal owned telephone companies to petition the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for assistance to increase telephone service on Indian reservations. Clinton made a visit to Navajo Nation in Shiprock, New Mexico and make a promise of $1 (one dollar) a month telephone service for Indian reservations. The promise came through, but with the house hold must meet the qualifications set by the FCC. The qualifications are very flexible and the customers self certify with a simple application. These new special rules for Indian reservations which have been adopted by the FCC will ensure that qualified residents living on a reservation, will be able to afford basic telephone service.
If a household on the reservation participates in one of the following programs, they qualify for Enhanced Lifeline. The qualifying requirements for Enhanced Lifeline are listed below. Note: these are the requirements for GRTI, but it may be different for some states.
__ BIA General Assistance Program
__ Head Start Program
__ National School Lunch Program (Free Meals)
__ Federal Public Housing Assistance or Section 8
__ Medicaid (ACCHS insurance for Arizona state)
__ Food Stamps
__ Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
__ Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
__ Vocational Rehabilitation (including Aid to the Hearing Impaired)
There are a lot of households that have a child that goes to school on the reservation who participates in the Free Lunch program. This easily qualifies them for Enhanced Lifeline, but the problem is that telephone companies that serve the reservations are not promoting very well to their customers. They may advertise this program in their newsletters, ads, but tribal members who don't have telephone service will not get the newsletter.
How does someone apply?
Each telephone company has to comlply with the Enhanced Lifeline program under the FCC rules. The application for the program is self-certification which means they sign a simple form that says they qualify. Each telephone company may have their own Enhanced Lifeline application form. Call your local telephone company, ask them for an Enhanced Lifeline application.
Some telephone companies may require their customers to take a complete toll block (no long distance calling) if they have an outstanding bill or have been disconnected. If construction is required to provide service, there may be a delay until the construction is completed.
What is my discount if I qualify? If a household qualifies for Enhanced Lifeline Telephone Assistance Program, their monthly basic local telephone rate will be $1.00, plus taxes and fees. They will get a credit on their telephone bill depending on what their basic telephone rate. Example: basic rate is $15 a month, they will get a $14 dollar credit, plus another credit for the Subscriber Line Charge of $3.50 (this is usually the fee, but it may vary).
Basic rate $15.00
Subscriber Line Charge 3.50
Taxes 1.45 911 excise fee .32
Total Basic Rate 20.27
Enhanced Lifeline Credit ( 14.00) leaves $1 for basic rate
( 3.50)
Final basic rate $ 1.77 a month
Customers must remember that other charges may apply to their monthly telephone bill which could include caller ID, call waiting, long distance charges, and other calling features.
Enhanced Linkup America will provide a discount for the connection or hookup fee for new telephone service. The discount will vary depending upon what the local telephone company charges for new hookups.
The new chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Michael Powell (son of Colin Powell), will review this program for its effectiveness. Native Americans must utilize the Enhanced Lifeline program so the program will help increase telephone service in Indian Country. GRTI encourages households on the reservation to call their local telephone program and ask if they qualify for the Enhanced Lifeline program. If they have questions about this program, they can call their local telephone company. If persons feel that their local telephone company is not answering their questions, you can call GRTI at (520) 796-3333 and ask to speak to their Public Relations Department.
There is a Native organization that can offer assistance for tribes with telecommunications questions. The National Tribal Telecommunications Association was organized by the five tribal owned telephone companies that wanted their concerns heard at the FCC in Washington D.C. The phone number for the National Tribal Telecommunications Association is (520) 796-6882.