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NOTICE: Thanks to the new Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), you can now get Unlimited Data AND a free government cell phone at the same time. For more info, click here
Arctic Slope Telephone Association Cooperative (ASTAC) is a small company that serves towns and villages along Alaska’s North Slope coast and down the state’s west coast and ASTAC Residential Service Areas include: Utqiaġvik(Barrow), Point Hope, Point Lay, Nuiqsut, Anaktuvuk Pass, Atqasuk, Wainwright, Kaktovik
“What kind of name is Arctic Slope Telephone Association Cooperative”, you may be asking yourself. Instead of being a privately-owned or publicly-owned company, ASTAC is what’s known as a “member-owned telephone utility cooperative”. It offers a wide range of telecommunications services to the residents of Alaska’s North Slope region. ASTAC’s service area covers 90,000 square miles and is mostly roadless, remote arctic emptiness. The company offers its customers nine service offices — eight of them are located in the region’s traditional villages and the ninth one is located at the oil facilities at Deadhorse-Prudhoe Bay.
ASTAC was formed in 1977 when Arctic Slope residents realized their futures were dependent on the availability of basic telephone service.
Lifeline Plan
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Free smartphone
Unlimited nationwide talk
Unlimited nationwide text
4.5 GB of data per month with 3G or better mobile technology
ACP Plans?
Your guess is as good as ours because the ASTAC website leaves a nearly complete void in regard to any Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) Plans it may offer. Instead of actually describing the specifics of an ACP Plan (or plans), it simply says, “Contact ASTAC to select an eligible plan and have the discount applied to your bill.”
Elsewhere the website says, “Up to a $75/month discount on your Internet service.” We searched the ASTAC website and found that its cheapest internet plan, called Home Internet 5+, costs $199.99 per month. That’s very expensive, but you’ll be able to reduce the price by $75 per month thanks to the ACP discount.
And, of course, you also get a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a tablet.
Who is eligible for Lifeline discounts?
You qualify for a Lifeline Assistance free government cell phone if you are on any of these programs:
- Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
- Food Stamps
- Medicaid
- Federal Public Housing Assistance
- Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program
- Alaska Temporary Assistance Program
- Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC)
- Adult Public Assistance (which includes aid to the aged, blind and disabled)
- BIA (Bureau of Indian Affairs) General Assistance
- Tribally Administered Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
- Head Start (meeting qualifying income standards)
- National School Lunch Program’s Free Lunch program
- Denali KidCare
- WIC Program (Women, Infants and Children Care Program)
- Pioneer Home Payment Assistance
- Alaska State Housing Corporation Programs
- Public Housing
- Interest Rate Reduction for Low Income Borrowers
- Home Investment Partnership
- Low Incumbent Housing Tax Credit Program
- State of Alaska Heating Assistance Program
- Veterans Administration Disability Pension
- Senior Citizen Housing Development Fund
- State of Alaska Senior Benefits Program
- Childcare Assistance Program, Pass I, II and III
You may also qualify if your Total Household Income is at or under 135% of the Federal Poverty Guideline for Alaska, which we’ve calculated for you in the table below:
| Income Based Eligibility for Alaska | ||
|---|---|---|
| Members in Household | Annual income | |
| 1 member | $22,973 | |
| 2 members | $30,902 | |
| 3 members | $38,867 | |
| 4 members | $46,832 | |
| 5 members | $54,797 | |
| 6 members | $62,762 | |
| 7 members | $70,727 | |
| 8 members | $78,692 | |
| For each additional member add $7,965 annually | ||
Who is eligible for ACP discounts?
The rules for ACP eligibility are the same in Alaska as they are in every other state:
- A household is eligible for the Affordable Connectivity Program if the household income is at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, or if a member of the household meets at least one of the criteria below:
- Participates in any of the following assistance programs: SNAP, Medicaid, Federal Public Housing Assistance, Veterans Pension or Survivor Benefits, SSI, WIC, or Lifeline;
- Participates in any of the following Tribal specific programs:
- Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance, Tribal TANF, Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, or Tribal Head Start (income based);
- Participates in the Free and Reduced-Price School Lunch Program or the School Breakfast Program, including through the USDA Community Eligibility Provision;
- Received a Federal Pell Grant during the current award year; or
- Meets the eligibility criteria for a participating broadband provider’s existing low-income internet program.
Be Sure to Compare ASTAC with Other Options in Your State
This is just one of the many Lifeline Cell Phone providers in your state. Some states have over a dozen cell phone providers to choose from. Plans and phone choices often vary substantially between providers and you owe it to yourself to look at them all. To begin your comparison shopping, please see our phone providers by state page and click on your state.
Contact:
Arctic Slope Telephone Association Cooperative
1-800-478-6409
907-563-3989
info@astac.net
Website: astac.com
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