Community Based Organizations to be Awarded $500,000 in Grants to Promote Universal Lifeline Telephone Service Program.

Business Editors/City Desk

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 6, 2000

Programs Will Educate and Enroll Residential Consumers

in Important Telephone Service Program

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) announced today that as part of the Universal Telephone Lifeline Telephone Service (ULTS) marketing efforts, grants totaling $500,000 are available to community based organizations throughout California.

These grants will be awarded to organizations to implement specific activities that educate people about (ULTS) and enroll eligible customers.

Under a directive of the CPUC, the ULTS Marketing Board (ULTSMB) has contracted for a statewide competitively neutral marketing campaign and subscriber referral program. The objective is to ensure that eligible households, with or without telephone service, are made aware of the ULTS program, learn how to enroll in the program, and subscribe to the program through a local telephone service provider.

Interested community based organizations are encouraged to apply for these grants. Applicants must be California-based, non-profit organizations with a valid 501 (c) status. Community based organizations who do not meet this criteria may collaborate with such an organization.

Grantees are expected to distribute printed materials and hold consumer enrollment events. Grantees also can develop other creative ideas for reaching their constituencies and enrolling eligible customers. Awards will range from $10,000 to $15,000 for a contract period of seven (7) months.

Bidders' conferences on the Request for Proposal (RFP) will be held on January 19, 2000, in Oakland, California, and on January 20, 2000, in Los Angeles. Applicants attending the conferences will receive an overview of the program and participate in a question and answer session. The RFP, and the questions and answers from the bidders' conferences will be available on the Internet at http://www.youngcomms.com following the conferences.

The RFP will be available January 3, 2000. Applications may be requested by calling 800/270-0185 or by writing to:

                        Contract Administrator
                           CBO Campaign RFP
                      Young Communications Group
               672 South LaFayette Park Place, Suite 29
                         Los Angeles, CA 90057

    Deadline for RFP submission is 6:00 p.m. on Monday, February 1,
2000.
    The following are the specific deadlines for this RFP:

Applications Available              January 3, 2000
Bidder's Conferences                January 19 and 20, 2000
Application Deadline                February 1, 2000 - 6:00 p.m.
Contracts Awarded                   Mid to late March, 2000

The funding for the grant program is provided through the California Public Utilities Commission ULTSMB. The ULTS program, funded by a telephone surcharge, provides basic residential telephone service at a reduced cost to qualified households through local telephone service providers.