Making Sure Everyone Can Communicate in Tennessee

The Tennessee Regulatory Authority wants more people to take advantage of Lifeline and Link-Up.

These are programs that allow everyone on government assistance like food stamps and the National Free School Lunch program to pay less for telephone service.

These are both federally funded programs.  "There's a charge on your bill, the Universal Service Support Fund," TRA Director Eddie Roberson explained Tuesday morning, "A small part of that goes to fund these programs. Some of the telephone companies also go over and above that and contribute on their own."

Some cell phone companies also offer free or reduced-price mobile phones.