In some states low-income households can get a free cell phone with airtime. Assurance Wireless is working with country music star Ronnie Dunn formerly of Brooks and Dunn to raise awareness among people who have been hit hard by the economy. Assurance Wireless offers low income residents in 31 states with free a free phone and 250 minutes of free voice service.
Award-winning country music star Ronnie Dunn’s recent single, “Cost of Livin’,” speaks to the difficulty of finding a job during the recession and high unemployment currently facing the American workforce. The song begins by depicting a hardworking veteran, husband and father filling out a job application, and one key aspect of the job search is being able to call potential employers and receive return calls.
Assurance Wireless from Virgin Mobile provides a free wireless phone and 250 free minutes of wireless voice service monthly for qualifying low-income persons.
In addition to a free cell phone, Assurance Wireless offers free voice mail, call waiting, caller ID and access to 911 in case of emergency. Beyond the free 250 voice minutes, customers can pay for additional 10-cent-per-minute domestic calling, 10-cent text, email or instant messages. International calling is at competitive rates.
To learn more about Assurance Wireless, including eligibility requirements, please call 1-800-385-2171 or visit www.assurancewireless.com.
An estimated 30 percent of the annual $1.2 billion in Lifeline spending subsidies to low-income Americans is now allocated to wireless phones.
Lifeline Assistance is a joint federal program operated by the Federal Communications Commission and state public utility commissions that ensures that telephone service is available and affordable for low-income subscribers within 135 percent of the federal poverty guidelines.
To see if you qualify, check with the carrier. You are usually eligible if you participate in:
- Federal Public Housing Assistance / Section 8.
- Food Stamps.
- Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).
- Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
- National School Lunch (free program only).
- Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.
- Medicaid.
- Or you can prove your low-income status.
According to the FCC, the qualifying income in all federal default states, except Alaska and Hawaii, ranges from a maximum of $14,702 for a family of one to a maximum of $50,801 for a family of eight. You will have to re-qualify every 12 month.
Assurance Wireless is currently available in Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Washington D.C., Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia.
There is no free cell phone Lifeline service for low-income households in 15 non-participating states that include Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming.
Untitled from Maya Burghardt on Vimeo.
It definitely seems like a nice idea in thought, you know, giving those who are disadvantaged a free cell phone to help them stay in touch for work and what not, because cell phone plans can be expensive. But, it does just seem all too easy and that it has gotten out of hand. The fact that anyone can check a box and receive multiple phones is a little outrageous when our spending is already so out of control.