With the Lifeline program from the government, it is now possible for everyone to own a cell phone. A cell phone today is practically a necessity and it is difficult for anyone to have a smooth personal, social or professional life without a cell phone. With this government assisted phone program, almost everyone would have a cell phone to call their own. Lifeline is a Federal program that offers to give the people who qualify a government subsidy on basic telephone services. With this program, low income families too can have a cell phone.
This free government assisted phone is available in all the states though each state could have its own qualifying criteria. For the states of Louisiana, Arkansas, Illinois, Oklahoma, Maryland, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Kansas, Washington, Rhode Island, Nevada, Iowa, Texas and West Virginia the criteria is more or less the same. Although in Oklahoma, the residents will be billed $1 per month for the 1000 minute plan and the Texas residents will need to pay a $30 activation fee. Other than these two states, there would be no bill ever.
The person qualifying gets the government assistance phone along with facilities like texting, accessing 911 and directory assistance, voicemail and making long distance calls. The minutes for each month are fixed and the minutes will replenish every month. One can always purchase additional minutes at a reduced rate.
In most states, a person participating in any of the government assistance program like Federal Public Housing Assistance (Section 8), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly Food Stamps), Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), Medicaid, National School Lunch Program’s Free Lunch Program, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) qualifies for Lifeline. One can also apply if the household income is at or below 135% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines.
