The majority of these services are run by Caledonian MacBrayne and many of the routes are lifeline services for communities living in remote areas.

That all adds up to "more than 60%, on a service that is supposed to be affordable and is identified in the industry as 'lifeline service'," Boston says.

Traditional phones draw power directly from neighborhood telephone wiring, which is how they provide so-called lifeline service, operating even during a blackout.

State victim assistance and compensation programs are the lifeline services that help victims to heal in the aftermath of crime.

Even in communities where a "lifeline" service is provided, water taps are set to dispense a limited amount of water and are then shut down.

This fee, which is waived for low-income subscribers who qualify for bare-bones "lifeline" service, amounts to a subsidy underwritten by the more affluent.

Nor were the very poor damaged by divestiture; a cheap "lifeline" service was introduced.

Under another plan, low-income customers who qualified for special so-called lifeline services would be given a 15 percent discount from AT&T's standard rate for a limited number of calls.

The company is owned by the Scottish Executive and receives a subsidy of around £45 million a year to offer a lifeline service.

I get a "lifeline" service, which allows good reception but little else.