Learn how and where to get a free cell phone from the government. All the information you need to know about the program. How to Get Free Cell Phone Service . If you make very little money, or you're part of other federal programs such as public housing, food stamps, SSI, or Medicaid, you can get a free mobile phone paid for by a fee on everyone else's phone bills. This program has been around for years. According to the FCC, the government has been subsidizing landlines since 1. Life. Line, added mobile phones in 1. Life. Line was enhanced in 2. Bush administration, and Trac. Fone's Safe. Link, the first purely free Life. Line phone brand, started disbursing free phones in 2. Trac. Fone operates Safe. Link. Life. Line is funded by the Universal Service Fund, which you see as a surcharge on your phone bill. Established by a 1. USF makes sure that people who live in rural and low- income areas, as well as schools and libraries can get phone service. It doesn't make a distinction between wired and wireless phones; you can get a subsidy for either, but you have to choose one. For years, phone companies used Life. Line subsidies to provide discounted service—AT& T still does—but now low- cost wireless providers can take the same subsidy and provide totally free service.
Here's how it works: Life. Line typically provides a $1. Americans' phone lines, Fuentes said. Trac. Fone and Virgin Mobile are able to turn that $1. Compare free cell phones with wireless plans at Wirefly. Find the best free cell phones with qualifying cell phone plans. Phone savings free from compromise. Pay less for a wide selection of the latest smartphones at activation; Pay off your phone with $0 down today on approved credit. The phones themselves aren't paid for by the government; they're given away by the companies, Fuentes said. The most enthusiastic states for free phones are Alaska, Oklahoma, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia. The least Life. Line users can be found in Hawaii and Indiana. Which Phones are Free? There are three main free cell phone providers: Trac. Fone's Safelink, Sprint's Assurance Wireless, and Nexus Communications' Reach. Out Wireless. Other companies, such as AT& T, offer discounted service through the program but not free phones. Ringtones, Caller ID, and call waiting, but not a cameraphone. All three of these are basic bar- style phones with color screens and no cameras, and all three work on the AT& T and T- Mobile physical networks. Assurance Wireless gives out the Kyocera Jax S1. We reviewed the Cricket version of this phone and found it easy to use, but of mediocre quality. Assurance's phones work on the Sprint network. Reach. Out gives consumers a . The phones include older, refurbished Samsung, LG, Kyocera, Motorola, Audiovox, and Nokia phones. Some are bars, some are flips, and some even appear to be cameraphones. Reach. Out's coverage map appears to include most of the Sprint and Verizon networks. All three carriers offer up to 2. Safelink also offers 6. Reach. Out also offers a 1. The services all also offer options like international calling and additional minutes, but they cost extra. None of the services offer data or Web access. How to Qualify. The three companies operate in different states. Safe. Link is in 3. Reach. Out is in 1. Assurance is in 2. Each company's Web site lets you punch in your ZIP code to find out if you're in the right area. Every state has slightly different requirements, so you should check on the companies' Web pages to see if you qualify. In general, you can qualify by making less than 1. In New York, for instance, a family of four that makes less than $3. You'd also qualify if you're in Section 8 housing, get food stamps, home energy assistance, Medicaid, or a veteran's disability pension, among other benefits. If you receive government assistance, it's worth checking out. For the top stories in tech, follow us on Twitter at @PCMag.
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January 2017
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