Are you living in Louisiana, Arkansas, Illinois, Oklahoma, Maryland, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Kansas, Washington, Rhode Island, Nevada, Iowa, Texas or West Virginia?
Are you already participating in a 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) or Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF)?
If the answer to both these questions is yes, then you should also know that you are eligible to apply for the free government cell phone service that is available through a Federal program called the Lifeline. In fact, if you are not currently enrolled in one of the above programs, you can apply if your monthly household income is at or below 135% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. Or, if you are living on Tribal grounds or participate in a program like Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance, Tribal TANF.
When you are eligible for this program, most providers will give you a government free cell phone that comes along with a few basic facilities like making local and long distance calls, sending and receiving text messages, accessing directory assistance, 911 etc. The number of free minutes that you get each month is fixed and can vary between 60 to 250 minutes per month, depending on the state of your residence. However, you can buy additional minutes at discounted prices as needed.
This free government assisted cell phone is more or less free of any charge. There are however a few minor charges for some states. For example, people in Oklahoma are charged at $1 per month for the 1000-minute plan and the Texas residents are charged a $30 activation fee. The internet is the best option when you are looking forward to getting the free cellular phone service. A number of service providers have the terms and conditions listed on their websites. All you have to do is to check with the service provider and the qualifying criteria for your state and you are all set to get your very own free cell phone and service made available from the government program.
