I Need a Working Phone or Internet Connection
A working phone or internet connection may be how you reach medical care, refill medications, arrange transportation, manage benefits, or stay in touch with family.
If yours isn’t working, first make sure you have one reliable way to call, receive calls, or get online while you fix the larger problem.
Keep One Working Way to Reach Help
Think about who you need to reach today, and who may need to reach you.
That could be a doctor’s office, hospice, pharmacy, family member, transportation service, benefits worker, funeral home, or another source of help.
If your usual phone or internet isn’t working, tell them.
“Our usual phone or internet isn’t working. What’s the best way for us to reach you, and how can you reach us until it’s fixed?”
If you have another safe number they can use, give it to them.
Write down important phone numbers. Don’t rely only on a portal, contact list, or device you may not be able to reach when the phone, internet, or power is down.
Find Your Situation
- Someone may be monitoring my phone or internet
- Service is off or about to be shut off
- I need internet for care or paperwork
- The phone or device is hard to use
- The power goes out
- I live alone
- I live in a facility
If Someone May Be Monitoring Your Phone or Internet
Use another device if you safely can, such as one at a library, clinic, pharmacy, or trusted person’s home.
Don’t change passwords, settings, accounts, or devices if doing that could make you less safe.
Tell someone helping you:
“Calls or messages to my phone may not be private. Please use this number instead.”
A domestic violence advocate can help you make a technology safety plan and explain current protections for phone service.
The National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or text START to 88788, can help you plan safely.
If you’re afraid of the person caring for you, use I Am Afraid of the Person Caring for Me →
If Service Is Off or About to Be Shut Off
Start with the phone or internet provider.
Say:
“This is how I reach medical care and other essential help. What has to happen to keep the service on or restore it?”
Ask about:
- a payment arrangement
- an extension
- a hardship program
- Lifeline or another current assistance program
Lifeline is a federal program that can lower the cost of phone or internet service for people who qualify. Use Lifeline Support ↗ to check current eligibility, apply, and find participating companies.
For home internet, use EveryoneOn ↗ to search for low-cost internet and computer options available in your area.
Ask when the phone or internet will actually work.
If you need a phone today, ask whether someone you know has a spare phone you can use, whether a temporary phone is available, or look for a basic prepaid option.
If you, or someone you care for, depend on the phone for medical help or emergencies, make sure the replacement can reliably make and receive calls where you live.
If other household bills are also hard to pay, use I Need Help Paying My Utility Bills →
If You Need Internet for Care or Paperwork
Medical portals, telehealth visits, benefit applications, insurance notices, transportation accounts, prescription refills, and appointment information may all be online.
Don’t miss something important because the technology isn’t working. Say:
“I don’t have reliable internet right now. Can we do this by phone, mail, or in person?”
If there’s a deadline, ask how to complete it another way. Don’t assume the deadline stops because you can’t use the website or portal.
A library, clinic, or community center may have a computer or Wi-Fi you can use.
If you use a shared or public computer, sign out when you’re finished and don’t save your passwords on the device.
If someone else helps manage care or paperwork, ask whether the system offers proxy, caregiver, or authorized-user access instead of sharing passwords.
If the Phone or Device Is Hard to Use
Hearing, vision, speech, memory, or problems using your hands can make a regular phone hard to use.
Tell the person or organization you’re trying to reach what works better.
“Please text instead of calling.”
or:
“I need another way to communicate.”
Dial 711 for Telecommunications Relay Service if you’re deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability.
If you have significant hearing and vision loss, iCanConnect ↗ can tell you whether you qualify for communication equipment and training.
If memory is the problem, ask whether the phone can be simplified so the most important people can be reached without navigating menus, passwords, or several steps.
For other communication needs, ask what programs are available in your state.
If the Power Goes Out
Know what will still work.
Keep a charged phone, charger, or backup battery available if you can.
Some home phones and internet-based phone services stop working when the power or internet goes out.
If your home phone runs through your internet or cable provider, ask what happens during a power outage, whether backup power is available, and how long it’s expected to last.
If you rely on the phone to reach hospice, a medical team, or emergency help, decide what you’ll use if the usual service stops.
See I Need to Prepare for a Medical or Caregiving Emergency →
If You Live Alone
Make sure someone can still reach you and knows what to do if you don’t answer. See I Live Alone and Need a Backup Plan →
If You Live in a Facility
Tell staff if you can’t reach the people you need. Ask:
“How can I make a private phone call, and who can help me if I can’t use this phone by myself?”
Residents of Medicare- or Medicaid-certified nursing homes have a right to reasonable phone access and privacy when using it.
If the problem isn’t resolved, ask for the social worker or Long-Term Care Ombudsman.
If the facility still isn’t fixing it, see The Facility Isn’t Fixing It →
Before You Rely on the Plan
Make sure you know:
- how you can make and receive an important call today
- which number the care team and other essential services should use
- what you’ll do if your phone, internet, or power stops working
- whether an important appointment, application, or deadline requires internet access
- what alternative is available if you can’t use the portal or website
- whether the person can actually use the phone or device they’re expected to rely on
Helpful Resources
Check eligibility, apply for the federal Lifeline discount, and find participating phone or internet companies.
Search for low-cost internet service and computer offers available in your area.
Communication equipment and training for people with significant combined hearing and vision loss who qualify.