Lifeline: Home phone & internet service

Lifeline is a federal program that provides discounts for phone or Internet service to qualifying low-income consumers.
 

Some states, such as California, have a state Lifeline program that provides discounts for phone service to qualifying low-income consumers. 

You can get Lifeline: 
 

If your income is 135% or less than the Federal Poverty Guidelines. The guideline is based on your household size. See income qualifications; or 
 

If you, your dependent or someone in your household receive benefits from 

• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as Food Stamps 
• Medicaid 
• Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 
• Federal Public Housing Assistance (FPHA) 
• Veterans Pension and Survivors Benefit  

If you reside on Tribal lands, you can also get Lifeline if you, your dependent or someone in your household received benefits from  

• Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance 
• Tribally Administered Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TITANF)  
• Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR)  
• Head Start (Tribal lands, income-qualifying customers only) 

Additional qualifying programs may be available based on your state of residence. More detailed instructions will be provided after you enter your service address.

The first step to apply is to confirm you are qualified for Lifeline. Consumers are qualified by the National Verifier or a state administrator. Steps to qualify will be provided after you enter your service address.
 

After you’ve been qualified, the application process is specific to your state of residence. Steps to apply will be provided after you enter your service address. 

You will receive steps to apply for Lifeline with Cox after you enter your service address. 

No worries. Check out Cox Voice, our phone service with over 20 helpful features or our other low-cost internet options. See the Affordable Connectivity Program for ways to save on your internet service. 

Lifeline discounts for phone are available wherever Cox provides residential phone service in California, Louisiana, and Oklahoma. Lifeline discounts for phone and internet are available in limited areas where Cox has recently deployed new service and has received federal funding to do so. Enter your home address to see if Lifeline is available in your area.

Every year, you have to show that you still qualify for Lifeline. The National Verifier will first try to confirm your eligibility automatically. If the National Verifier cannot recertify you automatically, you will be asked to submit documentation proving your eligibility.

You can only get one federal Lifeline benefit on either your phone or your Internet.
 

California provides a state Lifeline benefit for phone which you can receive in addition to the federal Lifeline benefit for phone or Internet. 

Yes! If you already have Lifeline, you can use that to qualify for the Affordable Connectivity Program before February 8, 2024. You can receive Lifeline and ACP internet discounts at the same time until April 2024, the last full month of ACP discounts. Lifeline discounts will apply first and ACP will apply to any remaining eligible monthly service fee.  For more details, see cox.com/acp.