About Low Income:

• Overview of the Program
• Overview of the Process
• Individual Outreach
• Understanding Audits
• Filing Appeals
• Training Events

Low Income Tools:

• Latest News
• Calendar/Reminders
• Required Forms
• Disbursement Data
• Rules and Orders
• Tips and Best Practices
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Program Compliance - Whistleblower Hotline
• Submitting A Complaint

Step 1: Toll Limitation Service Support

Toll Limitation Service (TLS) support allows eligible consumers to choose toll blocking or toll control at no cost.

Toll Limitation Service (TLS) is a service that eligible telecommunications carriers (ETCs) must offer to eligible low-income subscribers at no charge. Qualifying low-income consumers choose whether or not they want TLS. This service includes toll blocking, which allows subscribers to block outgoing toll calls, and toll control, which allows subscribers, in advance, to limit their toll usage per month or billing cycle.

ETCs are required to provide at least one type of toll-limitation service, although, in some cases, companies have received additional time from their state commission to complete the network upgrades needed to provide TLS.

Support to ETCs will be provided for the incremental cost of providing TLS. These costs include the costs that carriers otherwise would not incur if they did not provide TLS to a given customer. The incremental cost of TLS does NOT include:

• The full retail charge for TLS that the carrier would charge other consumers.
• Joint and common costs associated with TLS are not supported by the Low Income Program ( e.g., overhead and the cost of facilities used for both TLS and non-TLS purposes).

Low Income support for TLS is available only for incremental costs that are associated exclusively with toll limitation service. For instance, Low Income support will reimburse ETCs for a switch upgrade only if it is needed exclusively for the provision of TLS. A switch upgrade that will be used for the performance of functions other than providing TLS is not reimbursable by the Low Income Program.

 

What should and should not be included in your company's TLS incremental cost?	YES	NO
The rate listed in the company’s tariff
The installation or changing of central office connections required to begin providing customer with TLS
Purchasing laser printers or any equipment that is used for toll limitation and other functions
Portion of any switch upgrade or software that is necessary exclusively for the provision of toll limitation
Portions of a switch upgrade that will be used for the performance of functions other than providing toll limitation
Time associated with greeting customers or any function that would be performed for all customers, not just TLS
Personnel costs associated with enrolling a customer in Lifeline and/or Link Up
Personnel costs associated with initiating a Lifeline customer’s TLS service
Time associated with explaining TLS at the time of initiating service
Time associated with answering general inquiries, even if they include questions about toll limitation and/or blocking
Time associated with processing, switch functions, billing, reporting EXCLUSIVE to TLS customers