Katrina Lifeline Program Available for Qualified Gulf Coast Residents

Business Wire, Dec 21, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Thousands of residents in the Gulf Coast region are still recovering from the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina, and wireless service providers want to remind them of an opportunity to receive communications assistance packages through a partnership between providers and the Federal Communications Commission.

Through the FCC's Lifeline program, eligible residents may apply to receive free wireless handsets and a package of no less than 300 free calling minutes, or a line-of-credit toward a previously existing account. There is a $130 limit per household. This program is being funded through the FCC-administered Universal Service Fund and was established by the FCC to help ensure residents in the stricken area have access to vital telecommunications service.

Residents must submit their application for assistance no later than March 1, 2006, and must certify they were residents of counties in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency as eligible for individual assistance related to Hurricane Katrina. For more information on other eligibility criteria and to apply for assistance, residents may go to the FCC's website, www.fcc.gov/cgb/katrina/cellprogram.html, or to participating carriers' websites. Those carriers are Alltel (http://www.alltel.com/personal/wireless/plans/lifeline.html), Cellular South, Cingular Wireless (http://www.cingular.com/katrina_lifeline), Sprint (http://www2.sprint.com/mr/cda_pkDetail.do?id=660), T-Mobile (www.t-mobile.com/hurricane), U.S. Cellular, Unicel and Verizon Wireless (http://news.vzw.com/criticalevents/index.html). Residents do not need to have an existing relationship with a carrier to apply for assistance.

Qualifying counties or parishes for Katrina Lifeline service include:

--Alabama - Baldwin, Marengo, Mobile, Pickens, Greene, Hale, Tuscaloosa, and Washington counties.

--Louisiana - Acadia, Ascension, Assumption, Calcasieu, Cameron, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberia, Iberville, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, Lafourche, Lincoln, Livingston, Orleans, Pointe Coupee, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. James, St. John, St. Mary, St. Martin, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne, Vermilion, Washington, West Baton Rouge, and West Feliciana counties.

--Mississippi - Adams, Amite, Attala, Bolivar, Claiborne, Choctaw, Clarke, Copiah, Covington, Forrest, Franklin, George, Greene, Hancock, Harrison, Hinds, Holmes, Humphreys, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Jones, Kemper, Lafayette, Lama, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Leake, Lincoln, Lowndes, Madison, Marion, Neshoba, Newton, Noxubee, Oktibbeha, Pearl River, Perry, Pike, Quitman, Rankin, Scott, Simpson, Smith, Stone, Tippah, Walthall, Warren, Wayne, Wilkinson, Winston, and Yazoo counties.

CTIA is the international association for the wireless telecommunications industry, representing carriers, manufacturers and wireless Internet providers.

www.ctia.org