Assistance
Additional Resources & Information
Mandatory 10-digit dialing became effective on October 24, 2021, for multiple states/area codes.
For Minnesota area codes:
- 218
- 320
- 952
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted 988 as a new three-digit number to be used nationwide to reach the National Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Crisis Lifeline, effective July 16, 2022.
In order for 988 to work in your area code, mandatory 10-digit local dialing was implemented.
What is the new dialing procedure?
To complete all local calls, you will now need to dial the area code + telephone number.
Who is affected?
Anyone with a telephone number from your area code will need to make a change from 7-digit local dialing to 10-digit local dialing.
How do I call 988?
Dialing 988 on your telephone will route your call to the National Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Crisis Lifeline.
What remains the same?
Your telephone number, including the current area code, will not change.
- The price of a call, coverage area, or other rates and services will not change due to the dialing change.
- What is a local call now will remain a local call regardless of the number of digits dialed.
- You will continue to dial 1 + area code + telephone number for all long distance.
- You can still dial just three digits to reach 711 (relay services) and 911 (emergency services).
- Any 211, 311, 411, 511, 611, or 811 services available in your community can still be reached by dialing their three-digit.
- The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can still be reached by dialing 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
Who may you contact with questions?
If you have any questions regarding the information provided in this notice, please call CTC at 218-454-1234 for more information.
You can also visit the FCC website at https://www.fcc.gov/988-suicide-and-crisis-lifeline.
The Federal Communications Commission’s Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) provided a monthly discount on internet services for eligible households. Unfortunately, Congress did not renew funding for this program so the program started to wind down in April 2024.
Minnesota’s Telephone Assistance Plan (TAP) offers a monthly credit of $10.00 on your landline telephone service. You may receive the TAP credit on one landline phone per household.
The federal Lifeline Program offers a monthly discount of $5.25 on a landline telephone service, or $9.25 on wireless telephone service, or $9.25 on a broadband internet service account. You may receive the Lifeline discount on one telephone or internet service per household. The broadband internet discount does not apply to TAP.
If you live on Tribal lands, you may qualify for additional discounts. Tribal lands Link Up offers a one-time credit of up to $100 on installation or activation charges. Tribal lands Lifeline offers an additional monthly credit of up to $25.00 on your landline, wireless telephone, or internet service plan.
The telephone or broadband service must be in your name. You must show proof that you or a member of your household participates in at least one of the following programs or is income-eligible:
- Federal Public Housing Assistance (FPHA)
- Medicaid/Medical Assitance (MA)
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
- Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
- Veterans Pension or Survivors Pension Benefit Programs
- Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance
- Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR)
- Tribally-administered Head Start (for those meeting income-qualifying standards)
- Tribally-administered Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TTANF)
If you do not participate in any of the programs listed above, you may qualify if your income is at or below 135% of the 2022 Federal Poverty Income Guidelines: (The federal poverty guidelines are updated at the end of January.)
How do I apply?
Visit www.lifelinesupport.org to verify eligibility and apply for this federal program.
Could I become ineligible?
When you no longer participate in any of the qualifying programs listed above, you are no longer eligible for LifeLine, LinkUp or TAP. You are obligated by law to notify the telephone company and advise the company that you are no longer eligible for LifeLine, LinkUp, or TAP.
For more information and to see if you are eligible for either program, click the links below:
Lifeline Information & Application
Link Up assistance provides a 100% reduction (up to $100) of the charge for starting telecommunications service at a Tribal Lifeline subscriber’s primary residence. Link Up is available to subscribers who reside on Tribal lands and use a facilities-based service provider that receives High-Cost program support. Link Up is a one-time benefit per address; subscribers can request Link Up once for each change of primary residential address.
For service initiation charges of up to $200, Link Up also provides a deferred, no-interest payment plan to the subscriber for up to one year.
Service providers can only claim reimbursement for the difference between the customary connection/interest charge and the actual charge.
Before providing Link Up to the subscriber, check the National Lifeline Accountability Database (NLAD) to confirm whether they have previously received a Link Up benefit at their address.
MINNESOTA RELAY
Minnesota Relay is a free telephone service that uses specially trained communications assistants (CAs) to facilitate telephone calls between people with hearing and speech disabilities and other individuals. Calls can be made to anywhere in the world (long-distance charges apply), 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. All calls are completely confidential.
To make a Minnesota Relay call dial 7-1-1. Once connected to the relay service, tell the CA the type of relay call you wish to make. Or, you may dial the specific toll-free number for the type of relay service.
For information on Minnesota Relay Services: www.mnrelay.org or 1-800-657-3775.
TYPES OF RELAY SERVICES
Captioned Telephone Service (CTS)
CTS uses a special telephone with a text display screen so that a person who is hard of hearing can listen to and read captions of everything the other person on the call says. You speak directly to the other person on the call, and a relay CA transcribes everything the other person says into captions, which appear on the display screen of your CTS phone.
Internet Protocol Captioned Telephone Service (IP CTS)
Internet-based forms of CTS are available for those who would like to use CTS on a computer, tablet, or select smartphones. Go to: www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/internet-protocol-ip-captioned-telephone-service.
Computer (ASCII): 1-800-627-3529
Computer users can access Minnesota Relay. Set your communications software to the following protocols: speeds ranging from 300 to 2400; 8 Bits; No Parity; 1 Stop Bit; Full Duplex. When calling at a rate of 300 or below, follow the above using Half Duplex.
Hearing Carry Over (HCO): 1-800-627-3529
HCO allows a person who can hear clearly but who has very limited or no speech capability to make and receive phone calls. Using a special text telephone, you type your conversation for the relay CA to read to the other person, and listen directly to the other person’s response.
Hearing User: 1-800-627-3529
A hearing person may use a standard telephone or mobile phone to place a relay call and speak with a person who is deaf, hard of hearing, or speech disabled.
Internet Protocol (IP) Relay
IP Relay combines text-based relay service with the ease of the Internet – no need for a TTY. You are able to make your relay call using a computer, laptop, tablet, or select smartphones. Go to: www.sprintrelay.com.
Spanish Relay: 1-877-627-5448
Spanish speaking persons with a hearing or speech disability are able to make relay calls. This is not a translation service – both parties must speak Spanish, and at least one party must have a hearing or speech disability.
Speech-to-Speech (STS): 1-877-627-3848
STS allows a person who has difficulty speaking or being understood on the phone to communicate using his or her own voice or voice synthesizer. The CA re-voices your words so that the other person on the call can understand them, and the other person speaks directly to you.
Text-Telephone (TTY): 1-800-627-3529
This service allows a person who is deaf, deaf-blind, or speech disabled to use a TTY to communicate with the other person on the call.
Video Relay Service (VRS)
VRS allows a person who uses American Sign Language (ASL) to communicate over the phone. The VRS user connects to the CA via an Internet-enabled device with a video camera. The CA relays the conversation back and forth between the parties – in ASL with the VRS user and by voice with the called party. Go to: www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/video-relay-services.
Voice Carry Over (VCO): 1-877-627-3024
VCO allows a person with a hearing disability, but who wants to use his or her own voice, to speak directly to the other party. The CA then types the other party’s response, which is displayed on the VCO user’s text telephone.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Emergency Assistance
TTY callers should dial 9-1-1 directly in an emergency. All 9-1-1 centers are equipped to handle TTY calls. Minnesota Relay can process emergency calls, but this may delay the response to your call.
Billing Options for Long Distance Relay Calls
- Direct
- Collect
- Pre-Paid Calling Card
- Carrier Calling Card
- Third-Party Billing
To File a Complaint Regarding Relay
Email your complaint to mn.relay@state.mn.us or call 1-800-657-3775. When filing your complaint please provide:
- The date and time of the relay call
- The CA’s identification number
- The nature of your complaint
You may also file a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission:
Website: www.fcc.gov/complaints
Voice: 1-888-225-5322
TTY: 1-888-835-5322
ASL via VP: 1-844-432-2275
The TED Program provides free telecommunications equipment to income-eligible Minnesotans who are having trouble using the telephone due to a hearing, speech, or physical disability. For more information on the TED Program:
- Website: https://mn.gov/deaf-hard-of-hearing/communication-access/ted/
- Voice: 1-800-657-3663
- TTY: 1-888-206-6555
ASL via VP: 1-866-635-0082
Minnesota Public Utilities Commission
The mission of the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission is to create and maintain a regulatory environment that ensures safe, reliable and efficient utility services at fair and reasonable rates for electric, natural gas and telecommunications services.
Minnesota Public Utilities Commission
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent United States government agency, directly responsible to Congress. The FCC was established by the Communications Act of 1934 and is charged with regulating interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite and cable. The FCC’s jurisdiction covers the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. possessions.
The Do Not Call Law was implemented in response to consumers’ concerns regarding unwanted telemarketing calls.
The National Do Not Call Registry, under the joint jurisdiction of the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission was implemented to assist consumers. The National Do Not Call Registry gives you a choice about whether to receive telemarketing calls at home. Most telemarketers should not call your number once it has been on the registry for 31 days. To learn more about who may or may not call, review these Frequently Asked Questions. You can file a complaint if you receive unwanted calls from telemarketers to which the Do Not Call Registry applies.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) can add you to the National Do Not Call Registry online at www.donotcall.gov, or you can call 1-888-382-1222 to register. It is free to register your home or mobile phone.
Call: 800-753-9104
Fax: 218-829-5146
WRITTEN COMPLAINTS:
CTC
Attn: Andy Isackson
1102 Madison St.
Brainerd, MN 56401
Voice: 218-454-1205
Email: andy@goctc.com
Spoofing is when a caller deliberately falsifies the information transmitted to your caller ID display to disguise their identity. Scammers often use neighbor spoofing so it appears that an incoming call is coming from a local number, or spoof a number from a company or a government agency that you may already know and trust. If you answer, they use scam scripts to try to steal your money or valuable personal information, which can be used in fraudulent activity.
To learn more about how to avoid spoofing or file a complaint with the FCC, visit fcc.gov/spoofing