Phone and internet help for people out of work - what worked for you?

I use my phone as my only connection. I am in Knoxville, in case local advice matters. Some applications need a computer. What else should I consider?

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it 14 months ago, and it settled down once I kept a simple log of every call and form.

Keep everything in writing and save the confirmation numbers. It saved me later.