State Raising Awareness About Phone Discount for Low-Income Households

The state wants more people to know about a program that helps low-income residents pay their phone bill.

Judy Palnau of the Michigan Public Service Commission says the Lifeline telephone discount service is for households with incomes 150 percent below federal poverty guidelines.

She says the program is available for all landlines and most cell phones, however the discount can only be applied to one line per household.

Palnau says the minimum discount for someone under 65 is $8.25 per month. For those 65 and older it’s $12.35 a month.

She says customers can call their phone provider to see if they are eligible.