As a kickoff to National Consumer Protection Week, the Florida Public Service Commission is ramping up promotion of its Lifeline telephone hookups for low-income residents.
Commission Chair Julie Brown said only about half the state’s eligible residents are signed up for Lifeline.
“It’s critical for low-income folks and residents around out state to have access to telephone service,” she said during a Monday (3/7/16) media event at Second Harvest of the Big Bend.
At present, Brown said about 833,000 Floridians are Lifeline subscribers. She said the total number of residents eligible for the reduced-cost telephone program is somewhere around 2 million. The challenge is getting the word out to that population. That’s where Second Harvest’s Interim CEO Jim Croteau said organizations like his can help.
“Food banks really offer a wonderful opportunity to support the Lifeline because we come in contact regularly with people who have the need for that assistance,” he said.
Other Lifeline promotional partners in the Capital City area are the United Way of the Big Bend and the City of Tallahassee.