Telephone Services
Special Services

Basic Telephone Service Assistance

Eligible low-income households in Crossville Communications’ service area can receive financial help with the cost of phone installation and basic local phone service by calling 966.2196. Two federal programs and one state program provide funding for this type of assistance. The federal LinkUp program and the Illinois Universal Telephone Service Assistance Program (UTSAP) offer a discount of up to $40 off the cost of installing a phone. The federal Lifeline program provides a $5.25 monthly discount off the cost of basic local phone service.

To qualify for assistance, households must participate in one of the following governmental programs: Federal Housing Assistance Program, Food Stamps, Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), Medicaid, or Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

Telecommunications for Deaf, Hearing, or Voice Impaired

ILLINOIS RELAY SERVICE is a 24 hour a day, seven day a week service in cooperation with the Illinois Telecommunications Access Corporation. To call a person who is deaf, or voice impaired and uses a TTY, simply dial 7-1-1 or any of the convenient 800 numbers below. TTY's are special typewriter devices used by persons who are hard of hearing, deaf, or voice impaired to communicate over the telephone.

Give the Relay Operator the telephone number of the person you want to call.

Specially trained operators relay conversations between TTY users and hearing people who use a standard phone. The relay operator types the hearing person's spoken words to the TTY user. The operator then speaks the typed words from the TTY user to the hearing person.

Callers can reach the Illinois Relay by dialing 7-1-1 or:

Calls completed through the relay center are billed at the regular telephone rates. There are no extra charges for this service.

In an emergency, dial 911 directly to reach your local emergency service

For more information on Telecommunications Relay Service write to: