Effective: October 7, 2026 · Version 3.0
This policy explains how Lifeline Access (“we,” “us,” “our”) handles information on lifelineaccess.com. It replaces our previous policy in full.
Lifeline Access is a private company. We are not a government agency, and we are not affiliated with or endorsed by the FCC, USAC, or any state agency.
1. The short version
- This site has no accounts, no sign-up and no forms. There is nowhere on it to give us your name, email address or telephone number.
- The eligibility checker runs entirely in your browser. Your answers are never sent to us.
- We do not sell or share personal information, because we do not collect any.
- Some links to telephone companies are affiliate links. See section 4.
2. Information we collect
Information collected automatically
Our servers record standard technical data on every request: IP address, browser type and version, operating system, referring page, pages viewed, and timestamps. This keeps the site running and secure. We also count page views so we know which guides are read.
The eligibility checker
The checker asks for your ZIP code, household size, whether anyone in your household participates in certain assistance programs, and, only if no program applies, your household’s yearly income.
These answers stay on your device. They are used to calculate a result in your browser and are not transmitted to us or stored. The only network request the checker makes is for a public file listing which telephone companies serve a ZIP code; that file is the same for everyone and contains no information about you.
What we never collect
We do not ask for, collect, or store:
- Names, email addresses or telephone numbers
- Social Security numbers
- Lifeline, SNAP, Medicaid, or other benefit account or case numbers
- Dates of birth
- Photographs or scans of eligibility documents
- Payment card or bank account details
Your actual eligibility is verified by the National Verifier, not by us. If any page claiming to be Lifeline Access asks you for these, it is not us.
3. Why we use it
We use the technical data in section 2 to operate, secure, and improve the site, and to comply with law. We do not use it to identify you.
4. Affiliate links and other sites
Some links to telephone companies are affiliate links. If you follow one, the company you land on can see that you came from this site, and it may pay us if you sign up. We do not pass that company anything about you. What happens on its site is covered by its own privacy policy, not this one. See our Affiliate Disclosure.
Our guides also link to government resources. Once you leave this site, this policy no longer applies.
5. Who else sees it
- Service providers who host the site and measure traffic on our behalf, limited to what they need.
- Legal requirements, where required by law or valid legal process, or to protect our rights or someone’s safety.
- Business transfers, if the site is sold or merged.
We do not sell or share personal information, and we do not use anything for cross-context behavioural advertising.
6. How long we keep it
Server logs are kept for a short rolling period and then deleted. There is nothing else to keep.
7. Your rights and choices
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to know what a business holds about you, to get a copy, to correct it, to delete it, and to opt out of its sale or sharing.
We hold no account, profile or contact record for any visitor, so there is no record of yours for us to disclose, correct, delete or stop selling. Your Privacy Choices explains this in more detail.
8. Cookies
We use a small number of cookies for basic functionality. The site loads no third-party advertising scripts. You can block or delete cookies in your browser and the site will keep working.
9. Security
The site is served over an encrypted connection, and the strongest protection is that we collect so little in the first place. No system is completely secure and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
10. Children
The site is for adults. It has no way for anyone, including a child, to submit personal information.
11. Changes
We will post any change here and update the version and date above.
12. Complaints
If you believe this policy is wrong or is not being followed, you may complain to your state attorney general or, in California, to the California Privacy Protection Agency.