Get a Government Phone
Do you qualify for a free government phone and monthly free minutes? The government’s Lifeline Program gives out "free government phones" and monthly service to Americans who qualify. Times are challenging for some folks these days, and you might have to choose whether or not you can continue to pay for your mobile cell phone, if you even have one. But did you know you the government has authorized phone companies to provide "free government phones" to millions Americans?
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Click HERE for help to get a free Obama phone
How free government phones help you:
- -An employer can contact you more easily to discuss a job offer if you have a free government phone.
- -Keeping in contact with your doctor and other emergency medical professionals is easier with a free government phone.
- -A free government phone can help you stay connected with family and other loved ones.
The government will pay for your free cell phone and limited monthly minutes!
Free government cell phone by staceygriffinWhat is the free government phone?
Thanks to the FCC-mandated, government funded program, called LifeLine Assistance, the financially disadvantaged can apply for a "free government phone" and up to 250 free minutes every month. About 12.5 million other Americans already are a part of this program, and millions more qualify for application. With the economy being shaky and falling further behind, many Americans are finding themselves eligible for the Lifeline government phone service program than ever before. The federal government set up the Lifeline phone service in the 1990's (by Ronald Reagan) as a program via a mandate by the FCC. Lifeline program is funded by Universal Service Fund fees on everyone's telephone bills, and it provides qualified consumers with discounted (often free) monthly phone service. It began as just a landline program and a few years ago made it added cell phones to eligibility. It’s been commonly called the “Obama phone” but that’s an urban legend as free cell phones were added under the Bush Administration, and by Reagan before that for landlines. There are about 12 million or so active owners of free government phones with service provided through this government funded program, provided mostly by three major mobile phone companies who are backed by large telecommunications companies like Sprint/Nextel. (Think they are making any money? hmmmm.....anyway...)What you get with your free government phone:
A free government phone is not necessarily just a cheap wireless phone or a discounted version. These are newer models, fully featured cell phones, backed by large and established mobile phone corporations. You won’t get an iPhone, Android or Blackberry, but you’ll get a basic, new cell phone. In addition to getting the cell phone, which comes with voice mail, call waiting and caller ID, you will typically get up to 250 minutes of airtime per month. It’s not enough airtime to let your teenager gab on it everyday, and it's intended for emergency and important usage. Really, anyone complaining should remember that service is provided for "free" to qualified users in need, and is indirectly paid for by other tax-paying Americans. In addition, most companies offer the ability to send and receive text messages.
Who do you get the free government phone from? Several companies participate in the Lifeline program, but three of them dominate the market. You may not have heard of the names of the providing companies, but you’ll recognize the big name companies behind their Lifeline divisions. Safelink Wireless is the largest of the providers, backed by prepaid wireless company Tracfone. Assurance Wireless is another growing companay, and is a subsidiary of Nextel/Sprint’s Virgin Wireless. ReachOut Wireless, backed by Nexus Communications, is also involved. They all have various plans to choose from and you can select one that will work for you. Other major companies can also help provide Lifeline free government phones as well. Because this is a federal government-sponsored program, the features of each company’s plans are similar, and the qualifications to obtain the phone are similar across company plans and across different states. You can find out how easy it is to qualify for a government phone, either by current qualification certain public assistance programs, or based on your low income. These government phones are reserved for people in need.
So no matter why you need a cell phone: to look for employment, to keep in contact with your kids, or to have on hand for an emergency, you can get one without any up-front investment.
Click here to learn more on how to qualify and apply!
