Tracfone Free Phones Program
October 4th, 2009
Lifeline was created in 1984, initially to assist low-income Americans with setting up and paying for landline service, but cell phone providers have been offering Lifeline supported programs since 2000, said Eric Iversen, director of external relations for the Universal Service Administrative Company.
To qualify for TracFone’s or any other company’s Lifeline program, residents must match income guidelines. A few states that have their existing Lifeline program might have their own criteria, but the qualifying income in all federal default states except Alaska and Hawaii varies from a maximum of $14,621 for one person to a maximum of $49,964 for a family of eight.
Residents also can qualify if they are part of various assistance programs, including Medicaid, food stamps, Federal Public Housing Assistance, Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, Head Start or BadgerCare.
In Portage County, there are around 6,720 people that qualify for the program. Wood County has 9,032 residents, Marathon County has about 12,000 and Clark County has 4,351.
Lifeline is funded through fees the FCC charges all phone companies fees that are, at least partially, passed on to consumers, Iversen said. The USAC is a quasi-governmental agency that administers the Lifeline program for the FCC.
Two cell phone providers that also offer Lifeline discounts in central Wisconsin are Alltel and U.S. Cellular. Verizon Wireless, which bought Alltel in January, also offers Lifeline discounts.
The big difference with the TracFone program, which offers prepaid cell phone service, is the type and size of discount provided, Iversen said. Most providers offer discounts ranging from $6 to $10 per month per customer an amount equal to what they receive from the FCC. TracFone’s program is free. People can sign up online at www.safelinkwireless.com.
Jose Fuentes, chief of government relations for TracFone, said the company was able to make a profit by providing the service, despite only receiving $6 to $10 per month from the FCC for each person who signs up.
We provide a service that is 100 percent free, and we still can make a little bit of a profit, Fuentes said. Low-income families need to have a phone that they can be reached at 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
He said that the company typically caters to customers that only have cell phones for emergency purposes, and those who don’t qualify for contract-based phone service because of their income and credit history.
The FCC approved TracFone to offer the program in 11 more states last year. It was approved to start offering the program in Wisconsin last month.
Posted in free phones
THANK YOU
I would talk to some one about my application if u can e-mail me. Thank U
Requesting free phone
I have to agree with post that after leaving AT
I think its a really good program . People really need aphone
I’m trying to get a phone how do i get to the application to getone?
Hi, just visit directly the safelink website (tracfone is their partner for the free cell phone program) >> You can apply there: http://www.safelinkwireless.com/
I am trying to get a free cell phone with the Gov’t. I am having a hard time finding the right place to go. Do you have to be a AT&T phone customer to get it? How about Trac-Fone do they offer it as well.
I will appreciate any help you can give me right now.
Shirley Galliazzo
shirleymae6472@roadrunner.com
I’m trying to get a phone how do i get to the application to getone?
I am trying to get a free cell phone with the Gov’t. I am having a hard time finding the right place to go. Do you have to be a AT&T phone customer to get it? How about Trac-Fone do they offer it as well.
I will appreciate any help you can give me right now.
Shirley Galliazzo
shirleymae6472@roadrunner.com
I have a free phone i lose it i don’t know were i lose it .I like get a enought phone if i can i live off food stamp i live in low rent housing in Elizabeth city nc . I live along all so my familey don’t help me at all i has go out do small job it don’t pay whole money my mom been dead 23 yeat in june first i been live along ever sent .Went she were sick at home i stay at home day and night no one in my mom familey would not come help me with her i got a bother and a sister they do not come by not at all .if i got go to a Doctor or the Hopital i has go by my self i cook my own meal wash my own clother clean my own hose all so they do not help me at all i got a pickup truck i like a phone care with me case anything happier to me hope you understand what i talk to you on this letter
Thomas Earle long 422 Pritchard Street Elizabeth City North Carolina 27909
I’m trying to get a phone how do i get to the application to getone?
+1
I’m trying to get a phone how do i get to the application to getone?
+1
I have had a tracphone for over 5 years now and still have over 800 days of airtime I’m on dissability and I can’t afford minutes is there a program that offers free minutes for my phone?I’ on medicare,medicaid,and food stamps.Can you help?