Best Free Government Cell Phones To Get In 2021
Getting a free government cell phone has become essential in the digital age where it connects almost everything and everyone. A so-called food stamp cellphone is the fastest and cheapest way to stay in contact with your family and friends, or it could be a lifesaver in times of emergencies or distress. Free government cell phones will also be your ticket to starting a career so employers can contact you once they want an interview or are ready to hire you.
The Lifeline Assistance program provides free government phones to people on food stamps and other reasons. It was initiated by the US government to help millions of Americans who dont have access. This FCC-mandated program mandates several service companies to provide devices with mobile plans which include minutes and text every month. For example, Verizon usually includes 250 minutes or more of calls, text allowances, and some even offer data allocation. AT& T only offers a discounted rate on voice minutes.
Over 12 to 15 million Americans are already enjoying this benefit, allowing them to contact loved ones and stay in the loop for the next career opportunities. You only have to contact one of the best free government providers below to get started.
ASTAC offers unlimited calls and texts locally, so you have to pay a quarter for each minute of 411 calls. The company might also ask for a $200 deposit if you call long distance numbers regularly.
Are There Other Options To Get Free Government Cell Phones?
Lifeline Government Phone Kentucky
The Lifeline Program in Kentucky was created because the US Government knows the importance of every household having access to telephone services. Everyone needs to be able to reach out to family, friends, and work. At Infiniti Mobile, we give individuals from low-income households the opportunity to easily apply online to see if you qualify. If approved, you may be eligible for us to send you one of many free government smartphones in Kentucky.
Not only that, but we are also offering our BEST cell phone plan ever! We have combined our Infiniti Mobile Lifeline Unlimited Program with the Emergency Broadband Benefit plan, which gives residents in Kentucky unlimited calling minutes, unlimited texts and unlimited data because we know how important it is to have the freedom you need to get through the month. As one of the premiere free cell phone providers in Kentucky, we guarantee that our process is quick and easy.
YOURE ALL SET FOR TAKEOFF!
What Happens After The Ebb Benefit Ends If I Qualified For Infiniti Mobile Unlimited Based On Lifeline Criteria
If you qualified for EBB based on Lifeline criteria, you will be moved to the current Infiniti Mobile Lifeline plan. If you qualified based on School Lunch or Breakfast, Pell Grant, or Substantial Loss of Income since 2/29/20, you will be offered other cell plan options, which may include undiscounted rate plans and may be subject to Infiniti Mobile general terms and conditions.
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How To Apply For A Free Lifeline Cell Phone
Communication is an integral part of daily life. Our ability to reach out to one another instantly is something most of us take for granted with the widespread availability of cell phones and the amazing things they can do. From calling someone, to texting, and social media applications, a cell phone can quickly become indispensable to an everyday routine.
Unfortunately, as essential as a cell phone might seem, keeping a line running from month to month can become an expensive utility. Not everyone has the privilege of affording such an expensive addition onto their already growing utility bills, which is where the Federal Communications Commission , steps in to assist.
The Specifics Of The Access Wireless Program
As with most free government cell phone programs in most states, Access Wireless service is absolutely free if youre eligible. In all states other than California , youll get a free cell phone, at least 250 voice minutes, unlimited texts per month. The minutes can be used for local or domestic long distance calling and tex messaging. There are a variety of plans, based upon your state and potentially what you are looking for. Heres how it breaks down:
All States other than California
350 minutes of talk, unlimited texts and 3GB data
California Plans
Get a free smart phone, unlimited texts, free unlimited talk, and 5GB high-speed data. Its a considerably better deal than customers can get in other states. Note: California residents should view our California Lifeline page to compare all the generous offers from all the companies.
Top-Up Plans
- $5 for 250 extra talk minutes each month
- 10¢ each additional Voice Minute
- $1 for 100MB High-speed Data for 30 service days
- $3 for 500MB High-speed Data for 30 service days
- $5 for 1GB High-speed Data for 30 service days
- $10 for 2GB High-speed Data for 30 service days
- $20 for 4GB High-speed Data for 30 service days
- $30 for 5GB High-speed Data for 30 service days
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The Free Government Cell Phone Program
This program is formally referred to as the Lifeline Assistance program. It is part of the larger Lifeline program that was launched in 1985 with the aim of subsidizing phone services for citizens with low income. The reason behind this is that phone services were deemed essential. They enable users to access emergency services, contact family members, and also seek job opportunities.
The government phones program is run by the Federal Communication Commission with administrative input from the Universal Service Administrative Company . USAC oversees the calculation of low-income statistics, determines who qualifies, and how much they get. The most recent partners to join this team are the free government cell phone companies.
What Does Not Eligible Per State Database With Docs Status Mean
If you live in Maryland, Texas, Washington, or Wisconsin, you may see the Not Eligible Per State Database With Docs status because your state requires we find your name in their database to approve your application. This means your proof documents were received, but we were unable to find your name in your states database.
Please review the information we have on file for you, and verify that its correct. To do this, log into your My Q Link Wireless account by clicking here and entering your email address and zip code .
Please verify the accuracy of your full name, date of birth, and your social security number. If you live in Texas, make sure you also verify that your address is correct.
If your account information is incorrect, please contact Customer Support right away to update your information so we can re-process your application. Heres how:
- Send us an email by . Please provide your information just as it is in your Q Link account, and explain your account status.
- Or, Call us toll-free at 1-855-754-6543 between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. EST.
If your account information is correct, see below for other ways to qualify.
You can also complete your application right away if you qualify through low income. To qualify with low income, just supply a document showing you meet low income requirements.
See acceptable types of low income proof here.
Texas Residents
Complete your application and receive your free Lifeline cell phone service right away if you participate in:
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How Do I Qualify For Lifeline Assistance
Life Wireless offers a Lifeline discount to low income families and individuals for wireless services. To obtain Life Wireless service, potential subscribers must meet certain eligibility requirements such as receiving governmental assistance or a household income that is 135% or below the federal poverty level for their state. The specifics of what determines a potential subscriber’s eligibility are specific to each state. Life Wireless service is limited to one per household, and cannot be combined with any other Lifeline offering.
Lifeline is a government assistance program. Only eligible consumers may enroll in the program and documentation is necessary. Lifeline service is non-transferable.
Lifeline benefits are limited to a single line of service per household. You may not receive multiple Lifeline discounts. You may apply your Lifeline discount to either one landline or one wireless number, but you cannot have the discount on both.
Telrite Corporation d/b/a Life Wireless is an Eligible Telecommunications Carrier .
In general, if a subscriber participates in any of the following programs, they are qualified for low-income telephone assistance.
- Food Stamps or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
- Medicaid
- Section 8 Federal Public Housing Assistance
- Veteran’s Pension or Survivor’s Pension Benefit
*Supplemental Security Income is no longer accepted as an eligible subsidy in Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands, effective February 8, 2017.
The Lifeline Free Government Cell Phone Service Program
The Lifeline free government cell phone service program is available for use by qualified people who qualify for the Lifeline Assistance program. This particular federal assistance plan is offered by the Federal Communications Commission There are millions of people who are a part of this program and there are millions of others who are eligible to apply.
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Get A Tablet For $1001
Heres that valuable tip: Now for a limited time, get an 8 tablet for just $10.01 when you qualify and sign up for the Emergency Broadband Benefit program! Once youre approved for the program, well send you a separate email to unlock your one-time discount on a brand new tablet. Apply here to get started!
Apply For A Free Government Phone In Wisconsin Today
If your family has been struggling without phone service, wed love to help you. Nobody should go without necessary services simply because they are unable to afford them. Imagine how free smartphone service could change your life for the better. Theres no need to hesitate. All you have to do is click below to fill out the application!
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Free Government Phones By State 2021
Lifeline Assistance is an FCC-mandated , government-sponsored program that helps the financially disadvantaged receive a cell phone at no cost to them.
An estimated 12-15 million Americans have a Lifeline cell phone and about 10 million more are qualified to enroll in the program and receive a free cell phone. Those who wish to see if they qualify or want to enroll in the Lifeline Assistance program can go to the Free Government Cell Phones website.
Some companies that participate in Lifeline offer new smartphones such as Android, but it is likely that recipients will receive used, refurbished models or a basic feature phone. Lifeline users will typically get 250 minutes per month or up to unlimited voice minutes and sometimes unlimited texting as well.
Lifeline Compliance Plans & Etc Petitions
On December 29, 2011, the Commission amended its rules to define voice telephony as the supported service, eliminate support for toll limitation services and removed directory assistance and operator services, among other things, from the list of supported services. As a result of those amendments, many Lifeline only ETCs no longer met the facilities requirement. The Commission granted conditional blanket forbearance of the facilities requirement for Lifeline-only ETCs in the Lifeline Reform Order, and found that blanket forbearance of the facilities requirement for Lifeline-only ETCs was in the public interest, subject to carriers meeting certain public safety and compliance obligations. The Commission required that each carrier seeking to avail itself of the blanket facilities forbearance granted in the Lifeline Reform Order submit for approval by the Wireline Competition Bureau, a compliance plan outlining certain measures to prevent waste in the Lifeline fund. The following are a list of carriers with compliance plans pending with the Bureau:
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Nationwide Lifeline & Ebb Service Provider
TruConnect is a nationwide wireless service provider that is committed to making your communication needs more flexible and affordable. We believe that affordable services should be available for everyone, so we offer Lifeline and Pay-As-You-Go, plans built for your life. Click here to choose the plan thats right for you. Lifeline is a state and federal government program that provides affordable wireless service to low-income consumers. The Lifeline program is only available to consumers who can provide documentation for eligibility based on either income or participation in public assistance programs such as SNAP and Medicaid. Only one Lifeline service is allowed per household. TruConnect currently offers Lifeline service to residents in Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, West Virginia, and Wisconsin, with more coming soon.
FREE Wireless Internet Service + Free Device!
Companies That Provide Obama Phones And Free Service
IMPORTANT NOTE: The plans of the various companies below can vary considerably. Some may give unlimited minutes, some unlimited texting, and most now include up or 500 MB of mobile internet data . And the phone models can vary greatly as well, with some providing smartphones. We urge you to compare plans of all providers who serve your state.
Assist Wireless This Lifeline cell phone provider offers cell phone plans in Arkansas, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri and Oklahoma. They have a number of different plans.
Assurance Wireless Assurance, a rapidly-growing subsidiary of Sprint Nextel, is number two in the Obama phone business with 2.7 million customers. It offers phones in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Cintex Wireless This regional Lifeline provider offers cell phone plans in Arkansas, Maine, Maryland, Rhode Island or West Virginia.
Easy Wireless If you live in Oklahoma, Kentucky, or Missouri, you can contact Easy Wireless for your Lifeline cell phone.
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How To Access The Best Free Government Phones In Texas
Texas is among the wealthiest states in the USA. It perceived to be the home for many millionaires and billionaires of the world.
Like it is common to many other parts of the globe, Texas is still home to many poor people. Therere so many cases of unemployment in Texas and many low-income earners living in this magnificent state.
Thus, the government has partnered with the Lifeline Assistance program to raise hopes of the poor people living in Texas. The best free government cell phones are given to the low-income earners. Other than the free government phones there are also the discounted phones to people with narrow pockets. These measures have been taken as a way of government in partnership with lifeline assistance companies to help realize an increase in telecommunication services as desired.
If Texas is your home state here are the lifeline companies that offer free government phones with internet. Confirm your legitimacy to be enrolled under the Lifeline program and go for the best free government cell phones from these companies.
Ctia Consumer Code For Wireless Service
The CTIA and select wireless carriers have developed the following Consumer Code. Life Wireless has voluntarily adopted the principles, disclosures, and practices for wireless service provided to individual consumers. These principles are:
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Free Wireless Internet Service Emergency Broadband Benefit Program
EBB is a limited-time program operated by the Federal Communications Commission that provides discounts on monthly broadband internet access service and certain connected devices. The EBB monthly service and device discounts are non-transferrable. An eligible household is limited to one monthly service discount and one device discount. EBB Program benefits may be obtained from any participating provider of your choosing and your monthly service benefit may be transferred to another provider at any time.California Lifeline Customers: The TruConnect California FREE EBB plan includes 14 GB of 4G/LTE data with wifi hotspot capability Lifeline Customers Outside of California: The TruConnect FREE EBB plan includes 12.5 GB of 4G/LTE data with wifi hotspot capability Stand-Alone Service: The TruConnect FREE EBB plan includes 8 GB of 4G/LTE data with wifi hotspot capability and your choice of an LTE-enabled hotspot device or Google Play Certified LTE Android handset
About TruConnect Lifeline
Free Government Cell Phones: Which Phones You Can Get
The various carriers that participate in the Lifeline Assistance program do a pretty good job of giving their customers some great options in terms of cheap or free phones.
Take Assurance: the carrier offers a host of smartphones like the Alcatel Dawn, Kyocrea Hydro Reach and ZTE Prestige 2. Or Truconnect: they sell the NUU A3 and ZTE Warp Elite N9518.
Alcatel
Unfortunately some of these carriers aren’t very forthcoming with their phone lineups until after you go through the qualification process. However, doing so will help you determine what kind of stipend you’re working with for your free or cheap government phone.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Free Government Mobile Cell Companies
What Happens When You Exhaust Your Minutes?
This is a common concern among users as 250 minutes is often not enough, especially for large households. All free government cell phone companies sell extra minutes, texts and data bundles to users once they have exhausted their monthly package.
However, the rates of sale are usually special, and not as steep as the market rates for the same package. This is all in line with making cell services reachable to those in low-income strata. It can be as cheap as $2 for 20 extra minutes of talk time. The other alternative to this is waiting for the remaining period of the month until the package is renewed at the beginning of the new month.
What Is The Free Phone Like?
Contrary to what many people think, the phone offered is quite decent. The phones are usually recent models, no more than 3 years old in the market. They often feature good battery life and other features that make it convenient for talks. Additionally, they may incorporate some smart features including internet connection. But all these vary depending on the company you are subscribing to.
What Do The Companies Stand To Gain From Offering Free Services?
The companies, however, offer a free mobile handset to everyone who enrols in their program. This is a cost they have to bear in the short term in order to profit from your package over the coming months. It is, therefore, a win-win situation for the company, government, and of course the beneficiary.
