Four significant companies recently announced that they are pulling out of Lifeline Assistance, the free government cell phone program – i-wireless (Cincinnati Bell), Cricket Wireless (AT&T), AllTel Wireless, and Capital Communications
Cincinnati Bell Wireless, which had offered free government cell phones under the i-wireless brand, stopped offering Lifeline Assistance service effective July 1, 2014.
Cricket Wireless, an AT&T brand that served nearly 700,000 Lifeline customers, is phasing out the program. The company will continue supporting its existing Lifeline customers for the next 18 months or so, but it will not sign up any new Lifeline customers.
Capital Communications, which serves Lifeline Assistance customers in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana and South Carolina, discontinued the free government cell phone program back in late 2013.
And finally, AllTel Wireless, which served customers in Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, North Carolina, Ohio, and South Carolina, has also pulled out of the Lifeline Assistance program.
The words “disturbing trend” seem to be the only appropriate way to describe this troubling situation. We don’t know why these companies are dropping out of the Lifeline program, and we don’t know how many others may drop out in the future. But we do know that they abandoning hundreds of thousands (maybe even millions) of low income Americans who desperately need their free government cell phones. Where will those people turn?
Cell phones are a critical need in today’s wireless world and hundreds of thousands of needy Americans run the risk of being stranded without their free government cell phones. They’ll have no way to apply for jobs and communicate with potential employers. They’ll have no means of keeping in touch with friends, children and parents. They’ll have no vehicle with which to contact medical professionals. And they’ll even be left with no way to call 9-1-1 in case of emergency.
Don’t despair. There is a place to find the help you need: FreeGovernmentCellPhones.net.
How to find an a new Lifeline provider
If your cell phone provider drops out of the Lifeline business and leaves you without a cell phone provider, FreeGovernmentCellPhones.net can help.
You can find a detailed, state-by-state list of every free government cell phone provider on our Free Phones by State page.
Just click on your state and you’ll find a list of every Lifeline Assistance provider in your state. Some of those companies offer free government cell phones and others offer substantial discounts that help make a cell phone far more affordable. We recommend clicking around so you can check out every provider’s program. Some offer more extra free minutes and texts; some offer free bonus services like caller ID, voicemail and 3-way calling; and you may even find special limited-time bonus offers.
For example, if you were an i-wireless customer, you can choose between the following free government cell phone companies in Ohio: Access Wireless, American Assistance, Assurance Wireless, Budget Mobile, EnTouch Wireless, Life Wireless, nTelos Wireless, Q Link Wireless, Reachout Wireless, Safelink Wireless, Standup Wireless, and Total Call Mobile.
We also provide a complete list of Lifeline Discount companies in each state and we recommend checking out these options, too.
We can hear you asking, “Why would I want a discounted plan if I can get a free plan?” and we have the answers.
Not all free government cell phone plans are available statewide. So you may live in an area that is only served by a discount company. On top of that, a Lifeline Discount may offer better phones, better plans, or better coverage. You never know which plan is best for you until you check out what every company has to offer. In other words, “free” is always cheaper than “discounted”, but it’s not always better.
For example, if you were an i-wireless customer and you want to go with a Lifeline Discount companies, you can check out the various plans offered by T-Mobile. It’s the only company offering Lifeline Discounts in Ohio, but there’s a much longer list of providers in most states.
The free government cell phone plan forever
The simple fact is, nothing is forever. The company you rely on for your free government cell phone could drop out of the program tomorrow, but FreeGovernmentCellPhones.net will be here to help you find another company. Maybe even a better company.
That’s why we constantly scour the news, the latest bulletins from the Federal Communications Commission, and every press release issued by every free government cell phone company. We’re always searching for new deals, better deals, and changes to every program.
If there’s a way for you to save money on something as critical as wireless communications, you’ll find it here at FreeGovernmentCellPhones.net, the leading voice in the free government cell phone industry.
Raymond Maynard says
Has anyone heard of a requirement of returning broken phone in order to replace with different one?what if phone is inoperable.but has personal information still on it?
Ron says
I finally got a free government because I can. I don’t need it, I don’t use it beyond what turns out to be a minimum requirement of one outgoing call every 5 days but I simply got it to show it off to peopke and to see for myself just how stupid this waste of tax payer money really is. I have the same phone plan I paid for previously as well and that’s the phone I actually use. I’ll keep it as long as it’s free whether I need it or not – because I can and I want to take back as much as I possibly can from a government that has taken so much over the past 8 years from the people of this country.
John says
You just admitted to defrauding a government program. Lights are on but it seems nobody’s home.
Gloria Mcmillian says
I was a young married 17 yesr old mother years ago and I worked and remember walking to a pay phone to call my boss when I was sick. How good the poor have it now. They live like middle class did back then. Poor is not the poor of yesterday. You appreciate what you work for, but that is out dated I guess.
John says
So you think we should go back to the days of sick people having to walk blocks to a payphone to call their employer? First, payphones no longer exist. Two, I miss the days when children were made to work seven days a week with no bathroom breaks. They really knew how to appreciate what they worked for I tell ya! Booo to progress and better living conditions for all!
keith&wendy morgan says
We own a Obama lifeline phone it helps us out a lot we’re on a tight budget so they help please don’t discontinue the lifeline program it’s a big life saver for individual and families that are low income. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
The Morgan Family
denise willard-mihok says
I just closed my USA Lifeline account with AT&T.I was paying $17.26 for my land line.My new provider has not picked me up as of yet.I would like to know my best bet for a cell phone provider.
denise willard - mihok says
safe link has my application now
Marilyn says
The implementation of NLAD has wrecked havoc upon the business models of most of the carriers, especially those who distribute handsets immediately on-site. When the carrier finds out 3 days later that their supposed ‘customer’ was found to have multiple Lifeline accounts and was therefore ineligible for the USAC subsidy there goes their margins.
It is the Phone-Right-Now-On-The-Spot marketing scheme which has caused much of the duplication which is found in NLAD as folks have gone from tent to tent collecting a handset without any of the carriers collaborating to limit the fraud. So they are reaping what they have sewn.
Lifeline’s two biggest carriers will likely survive this because they mail out activated handsets after the NLAD dust settles. And their scale (millions of Lifeline customers) allows for this practice.
gerald buster says
Will there EVER be a “smart phone” offered free to the poor, or should we consider that a dead issue, and not get our hopes up ??
Thank you.
Free Government Cell Phones says
We are waiting on the FCC to get this darn program out of the Pilot Programs. No word from them in quite a while.
Terry says
It is interesting to see companies dropping out of the program. That tells me a few things.
1. The profit margins may be too thin to make it worthwhile to be in this business.
2. I know there are problems with fraud and the companies involved may not want to spend the time or money to put in more fraud proof systems.
3. Customer Service is not very good with the free cell phone world. This is due in part to the low profit margins as well as issues with the low income customers and the level of understanding many have of the program. It would take more money and more man power to fix this and I just don’t think the margins are great enough to do this and make a profit.
4. Why concentrate on a low margin, high Customer Service business when you can make more on the contract and per-paid cell market.
These are just guesses on my part, but they are based on years in business and I would imagine all or part are the issues driving those leaving the business.