There is no doubt about the fact that a cell phone today in nothing but a necessity. We need a cell phone at all times to stay in touch with our families. In addition, many businesses today communicate solely through telephonic conversations making a mobile phone a must-have for everyone. However, at the same time, we are well aware of the fact that the cost of almost everything has skyrocketed in the past few years and it is not easy for everyone to own a cell phone in these expensive times
.
Therefore, there is now a free government cell phone plan under which the people who qualify are entitled to receive a government subsidy which pays for free minutes of cellular service each month. Many providers will offer a free handset with the plan and include the facilities of making long distance and local calls, sending and receiving text messages, accessing voicemail, directory assistance and 911. It must be noted that the number of free minutes may range between 60 minutes to 250 minutes, depending on the state of residence of the applicant and the provider. This free cellular phone service comes without any costs for the larger part of the population. Nevertheless, there are a few basic costs for a few states. In Oklahoma, residents have to pay $1 per month for the 1000-minute plan and the applicants in Texas have to pay a $30 activation fee.
The qualifying criteria to apply for the free government cell phones are slightly different for some states. The residents of Louisiana, Arkansas, Illinois, Oklahoma, Maryland, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Kansas, Washington, Rhode Island, Nevada, Iowa, Texas and West Virginia share the same conditions. They must be participating in any of the government assistance programs like the 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). They can also apply if their monthly household income is at or below 135% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines.
