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Free Cell Phones with Airtime for Low-Income Households in Nevada from SafeLink

By Lynn Walford 05/18/2010

Free Cell Phones with Airtime for Low Income Households in Nevada from SafeLink

TracFone Wireless, launched SafeLink Wireles in the state Nevada. SafeLink offers wireless Lifeline service - a U.S. government supported program that ensures telephone service is available and affordable for eligible low-income households.

SafeLink reports that 184,161 residents who qualify for Lifeline services in the Nevada. SafeLink provides the cell phone at its own expense and service comes without contracts, monthly bills, security deposits or credit checks.

SafeLink provides eligible low-income households 60 free monthly airtime minutes for one year, unlimited access to 911 and a free cell phone handset. Any unused minutes do not expire but automatically roll over. The cell phone offers in-demand features: voicemail, text, call waiting, international calling to over 60 destinations, and caller ID.

While currently available through most of the state, SafeLink may not be available in some specific zip codes. To learn more about the SafeLink Wireless service, including eligibility requirements and additional features and benefits, please call 1-800-SAFELINK (1-800-723-3546), or www.safelink.com.

Safelink is also available in Maine, Ohio, Georgia, Tennesseeand Florida.

Anotherfree cell phone service for low-income households is Assurance Wireless in Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina and New York.

The federal “Lifeline” program was created during the Reagan Administration. Lifeline is a federal program created by the Reagan-era Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 1984. The program was enhanced under the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which was supported on a broadly bipartisan basis in Congress. The FCC’s Low Income Program of the Universal Service Fund (USF), which is administered by the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC), is designed to ensure that quality telecommunications services are available to low-income customers at just, reasonable and affordable rates. Lifeline support reduces eligible low-income consumers’ monthly charges for basic telephone service.

With SafeLink, TracFone is the first to modernize Lifeline for how people communicate today. The prepaid feature gives customers the freedom to control the cost of their monthly telephone expense without any surprises. SafeLink customers wishing to use additional minutes beyond their free allotment can add minutes by purchasing TracFone airtime cards at local retailers. As an exclusive benefit for SafeLink customers, SafeLink phones will automatically add bonus minutes on TracFone’s 60, 90 and 120 minute airtime cards.

To qualify for Lifeline in the state of Nevada, a household must participate in one of the following: Federal Public Housing/ Section 8; Low Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP); Medicaid; National School Lunch (NSL); Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Food Stamps); Supplemental Security Income (SSI); Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF); or if your Total Household Income is at or under 150% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. When applying based on income, qualified applicants must submit documentation to verify total household income.