Free Cell Phone Service?

RIVER BENDER - October,  2010

A few days ago someone sent an e-mail on free cell phone service with the remark that here was another Obama program that we taxpayers are footing the bill for. Someone then sent a photo of Michelle Obama serving at a soup kitchen with poor people using their cell phones to take pictures. Then finally someone reported that Obama offered free cell phones to the unemployed so they could be contacted for work. Hey, when I see something that sounds suspicious, I have a penchant to investigate and wish others would do the same. With search engines like Google and Bing I don't understand why folks don't check out wild claims. It's unfortunate that so much stuff gets forwarded nowadays regardless of whether it's true or not.

ObamaPhone is a myth

Well, it turns out that free cell phone service actually does exist but it has nothing to do with Obama, which is a myth circulating on the Web via email and blog sites. Safelink Wireless, owned by TracFone Wireless now offers free cell phone service after the FCC approved the company to offer Lifeline, a public assistance program. See Safelink's website at http://www.safelinkwireless.com/EnrollmentPublic/home.aspx. Lifeline was created in the Reagan era by the FCC to ensure telecommunications services for low-income customers at reasonable and affordable rates. Traditionally it used ordinary phones but Safelink introduced free cell phone service for low income persons.

North Carolina has Safelink cell phone service

Only about half the states currently have free Safelink service but North Carolina is one of them (47 counties). Qualifications vary by state but in NC you can qualify if you already participate in one of the following assistance programs: (1) Federal Public Housing Assistance/Section 8, (2) Food Stamps, (3) Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), (4) Supplemental Security Income (SSI), (5) Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), (6) Medicaid, (7) Crisis Intervention Program or (8) Work First. If one doesn't qualify from an assistance program they may qualify if their income is at or below 135% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines (see http://liheap.ncat.org/profiles/povertytables/FY2010/popstate.htm. An online application for free cell phone service in NC is available at the Safelink webpage. Once qualified, subscribers have a choice of three plans, each with free minutes totaling 68 minutes or more each month.

Who pays for free cell phone service?

Free phone service for low income persons is paid for mostly by a charge on your phone bill called the Universal Service Fund surcharge, Universal Connectivity Charge or similar words. It is a federal program created by the FCC and administered by the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC). TracFone Wireless pays for the cell phones and the cost of promoting its SafeLink program to make sure that eligible consumers know about the program. To get more information you can call 1-800-977-3768.

All past computer articles by Dave Wallace since 1998 are at http://pages.suddenlink.net/davew/dwindex.htm