Staying connected through the phone today is nearly as important as the air we breathe. It is mainly through the cell phone that we know what our friends are up to, where our kids are, and what the parents want. Not only for personal use and social interaction, a cell phone is also vital to our business connections. Many companies today conduct their interviews solely on the telephone. There are also businesses that completely depend on telephone conversations with their clients and customers. But recently, affording a cell phone for each member of the family is not all that easy. The prices of every day essentials are skyrocketing and we need to maintain the family budget.
Cutting down costs by eliminating the cell phone is a relief in a way but at the same time it can create many problems too. But there is now a government assisted phone plan that lets you have a cell phone for free. Under this program, you get a free government assisted phone, but only if you meet the qualifying conditions. The plan is available in all the states though the qualifying criteria can differ for different states. The qualifying person usually receives a free handset (depending on your provider) with free government assisted phone service that allows facilities like making local and long distance calls, (the minutes of the call may be fixed but you can buy more minutes at subsidized rates), send and receive text messages, access voicemail, 911 and directory assistance.
According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) under Lifeline Reform Order (FCC 12-11), to qualify for the government assistance phone, the applicant must be participating in any of the government assistance programs 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).
