Enhanced Tribal Benefit

Low-income consumers on qualifying Tribal lands can receive a Lifeline discount of up to $34.25 per month, and up to a $100 reduction for first-time connection charges for voice service at their primary residence.

Jump To

• Enhanced Monthly Support
• Tribal Link Up
• Eligible Tribal Lands
• Tribal Partner Resources
• Resolve System Errors Related to Tribal Benefit
• Additional Resources

Enhanced Monthly Support

Lifeline is a federal benefit that lowers the monthly cost of phone or internet services. Low-income consumers who qualify for enhanced Lifeline support and live on Tribal lands can receive a discount of up to $25 per month in addition to the standard federal benefit of up to $9.25 per month.

Service providers must pass the full Tribal lands support amount through to the subscriber.

Tribal Link Up

Link Up assistance provides a 100% reduction (up to $100) of the charge for starting voice only service at a Tribal Lifeline subscriber’s primary residence. Link Up is available to subscribers who reside on Tribal lands and use a facilities-based service provider that receives High Cost program support. Link Up is a one-time benefit per address; subscribers can request Link Up once for each change of primary residential address.

For service initiation charges of up to $200, Link Up also provides a deferred, no-interest payment plan to the subscriber for up to one year.

Service providers can only claim reimbursement for the difference between the customary connection/interest charge and the actual charge.

Before providing Link Up to the consumer, check the National Lifeline Accountability Database (NLAD) to confirm whether they have previously received a Link Up benefit at their address.

Eligible Tribal Lands

For a nationwide map showing all Tribal lands eligible for enhanced Lifeline support go to:

• Eligible Tribal Lands for the Lifeline program map and the shapefile of Tribal lands (shapefile for reference purposes only)

Tribal lands shown on the nationwide map include:

• Each federally recognized Indian tribe’s reservation, pueblo, or colony
• Former reservations in Oklahoma:
  • Adopted Enhanced Support Area
  • Adopted Enhanced Support Area
  • Cherokee Outlet
  • Cherokee Outlet
• Alaska Native regions established pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (view maps: 2010 U.S. Census American Indians and Alaska Natives Map – Alaska, State of Alaska ANCSA Boundaries Map)
• Indian allotments
• Hawaiian Home Lands (view map: 2010 U.S. Census Hawaiian Homelands)
• Any land approved as Tribal for the purposes of the Lifeline program by the FCC’s Office of Native Affairs and Policy and Wireline Competition Bureau

Providers can use the mapping tool in the NLAD under the Reports and Tools section, to determine if a Lifeline applicant resides on Tribal lands.

Tribal Partner Resources

Lifeline provides Tribal partners with access to the National Verifier to help consumers submit online Lifeline applications, upload eligibility or other documentation (as needed), and track the status of applications.

For more information on how to receive access to either system, review the Account Types page.

Resolve System Errors Related to Tribal Benefit

National Verifier

If a consumer who is seeking the enhanced Tribal benefit receives an Address Management Service (AMS) error, they must provide USAC with coordinates, or information that allows USAC to determine coordinates, to validate that they live on Tribal lands.

To help consumers resolve AMS errors during the application process, review the National Verifier AMS Resolution Guide.

NLAD

To enroll a consumer in NLAD with the enhanced Tribal benefit, select “Yes” for NLAD’s “Lifeline Tribal Benefit?” field.

For more information on how to resolve errors associated with the Tribal Benefit flag during the enrollment process, visit the Dispute Resolution webpage.

Additional Resources

Upcoming Teleconferences

USAC’s Lifeline team and Tribal Liaison hosts quarterly Tribal Teleconferences to ensure Tribal Stakeholders remain informed about any applicable program changes or updates.

Educational Material for Tribal Consumers

• For more information about how Tribal consumers can apply and manage their benefit, review the Tribal Flyer
• Download the Tribal Toolkit for a compilation of educational resources about the Lifeline program for Tribal consumers