ABOUT LIFELINE AND LINK-UP

The Link-Up and Lifeline programs in Illinois help low-income individuals and households obtain local telephone service.

Link-Up provides up to $42 towards the cost of installing/activating a new telephone in a low-income household. The Lifeline program provides a partial subsidy of monthly local phone bills.

In 2007, there were 53,400 individuals or families who received new telephone hook-ups through this program.

Statistics on phonelessness in Illinois have shown that families with young children are less likely than others to have phones at home because they can't afford it.

Check to see if you qualify.

Universal Telephone Assistance Corporation (“UTAC”) is a not-for-profit corporation of which all Illinois local telephone companies are members. The principal purpose of UTAC is to oversee the Universal Telephone Service Assistance Program (“UTSAP”) in Illinois, which provides the Link-Up and Lifeline programs.

The UTAC Board is composed of nine directors, selected by the membership of UTAC. Five of the directors of UTAC represent telephone companies, two represent consumer interests, and two represent low-income customers.

After February 17, 2009, a television receiver with only an analog broadcast tuner will require a converter box to receive full power over-the-air broadcasts with an antenna because of the Nation?s transition to digital broadcasting. Analog-only TVs should continue to work as before to receive low power, Class A or translator television stations and with cable and satellite TV services, gaming consoles, VCRs, DVD players, and similar products. 

Information about the DTV transition is available from www.DTV.gov, and from www.dtv2009.gov or 1-888-DTV-2009 for information about subsidized coupons for digital-to analog converter boxes.