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FCC rule change allows more than one free government cell phone per household

The Federal Communications Commission has been getting plenty of applause for amending the rules of the Lifeline Assistance program to eliminate fraud. But buried deep in the amendments was one change that is sure to please applicants for the program:

Establishing a one-per-household rule applicable to all providers in the program, defining household as an “economic unit” so that separate low-income families living at the same address can get connected.

In plain English, that means one household can now qualify for multiple free government cell phones.

This solves one of the primary problems the Lifeline program has created for needy Americans. As the economy has worsened, many low-income families have found themselves sharing a home with other families in an attempt to cut their monthly expenses.

Lifeline’s original rules stated that only one free government cell phone was permitted per household. While the rule was undoubtedly designed to control fraudulent, multiple accounts per household, it unintentionally resulted in harming these multi-families households by restricting the ability of each of those separate families to qualify for the free phones for which they would have qualified if the economy hadn’t forced them to share a home.

“We salute the Federal Communications Commission,” said Mark Henry, editor of FreeGovernmentCellPhones.net. “They’ve solved a nagging problem and now more people who really need free cell phones can get them.”

Of course, this will add to the cost of the Lifeline free government cell phone program, but the FCC has also figured out a way to pay for it.

The commissioners plan to save as much as $2 billion over the course of three years by eliminating the fraud, waste and abuse that has plagued the Lifeline program.

“We’d like to see the FCC revisit this very soon,” Henry added. “Residents of homeless shelters still don’t qualify for the free government cell phones and no one needs them more. We urge the FCC to correct this oversight at the earliest opportunity.”

To qualify for the program, applicants must already participate in another state or federal assistance program, such as food stamps (SNAP), public housing assistance, Medicaid, Section 8 housing, Supplemental Security Income, various Home Energy Assistance Programs, National School Lunch and other programs.
You may also qualify if your household income is at or below 135% to 150% (depending on your state) of the Federal Poverty Guidelines.

Until now the guidelines said that only one free government cell phone was allowed per household.

But that regulation is now a thing of the past.

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Comments

  2. Just want to applaud the customer service rep or reps replying to some of these questions. Its a public service informing intellectually challenged applicants about the programs regulations that are clearly stated on website. Ask a stupid question and get a stupid answer.. Love it.. Keep up the great work!!

    Reply

    • Thanks, Astonished. Some may be intellectually challenged, but for the most part we think we live in an age in which people think everything should be easy. Reading and comprehension are tough. Oh, well, it’s the burden we bear and if that’s what it takes to help people, we’re willing to do it.

      Reply

        • Nothing mean about it. We get dozens of comments every day of the year from people who simply haven’t read the information provided. Frankly, we’re amazed that so many people asked questions that would be quickly answered if people just read the information presented.

          Reply

          • I’ve seen YouTube posting of people having 2 phones from 2 different companies. Acting like is ok. But ive only known u can one

          • “Only one” is correct, Angela. Anyone with more than one is cheating the system.

  6. My fiance and i are under the same house hold when it comes to our snap benefits but for some reason his medicaid benefits are seperate than mine and my daughters(its listed as a seperate household). in this case would we be able to apply each for our own phones or is it still considered one household regardless?

    Reply

    • Since we are not a free government cell phone service provider, there’s no way for us to know why you were denied service, Julie. Have you spoken to the customer service team at the company that denied your service? That’s where we would start.

      Reply

    • Interesting question. But as far as we know, that’s not a feature that’s offered by any free government cell phone company.

      Reply

    • Speak to your service provider’s customer service team, Lyric. They may offer you a free phone (depending on how long you’ve been a customer or how well you sweet talk the rep), but will probably require you to pay $25 for a replaceament phone.

      Reply

  11. Safelinlk has held up my application from November 2017.Cstomer serviceis not providing answer why it has beenheld up nor is it informing me what should I do to get the Phone.Kindly help me.
    RAMESHCHANDRA PATEL

    Enrollment ID: 3598****
    Documents
    Document Status
    Application form Approved
    Qualification proof Approved
    SSN proof Approved
    Birthday proof Approved
    USAC Worksheet Approved
    Safe Link Application
    November 08, 2017 the status change to Pending
    Order Information:Carrier Tracking Number Ticket Number Qualification Date
    11/13/2017
    Qualification Date
    11/13/2017
    What Legal action I can take for harassing me for one full year and leaving me without any phone so far. I am in Low Income Group.

    Reply

  12. The house hold next door is receiving 2 government phones one from life wireless and other from q link. is this legal?

    Reply

    • If you read the article on this page, you’ll see that it may be legal, Dianna. It’s possible to qualify for multiple free government cell phones in one household IF (and only IF) certain specific conditions are met.

      Reply

  13. I’m a bit confused If I have a room mate who has this can I get one also or are we considered the same household

    Reply

  14. I had a lifeline account 3 years ago in my name but don’t have it anymore. Can my husband receive one now from the same company under his name if he meets all the requirements.

    Reply

  15. I was wondering how to go about replacing my current phone. some of the buttons don’t work correctly and some of the features don’t work correctly.

    Reply

    • Contact your service provider’s customer service team by calling 6-1-1 on your free government cell phone. They can tell you what their process entails.

      Reply

  16. I had a safe link phone only about 3-4 months but it broke (when I try to make calls it says my service has been deactivated and customer support says the problem is not on their end!)and customer service told me I would have to buy another phone and they would transfer my phone number. I can’t afford a phone. I wish you could send it in for repairs or something. Can I get a qlink phone or am I not able to have any government phone period?

    Reply

  17. After reading the questions& replies I’ m a bit confused. If two phones are now allowed why can’t each spouse have their own phone? What happens when one spouse passes away; do you have to start the process from the beginning or are you allowed to keep using the phone? There are a few more questions on my mind but I’ll get back another time.

    Reply

    • We’re not sure what you mean, Renee? What’s the difference between a “government phone” and a Lifeline phone?

      Reply

  19. I had my qlink pH come in an boyfriend changed the info I gave yall so he would get all the data an be able to download anything using his qlink pH from my pH.318709 ****

    Reply

  20. Hi all, I hope you’re doing well today!
    I guess I’m a bit confused as I’m seeing replies to questions asking about multiple phone options in this thread and being told only one per household. And yet, this is on a page titled “FCC rule change allows more than one free government cell phone per household”.

    Reply

    • The article above explains the exception in which more than one phone per household is allowed. Read the article.

      Reply

      • Thank you! I reread it & did some more research, (thought it may have been an outdated article, but it’s not) LOL

        Reply

  21. In addition to the one free phone, can I purchase a second plan (as advertised for $15.99) from SafeLink as a backup phone? Sometimes I run out of minutes and need an alternative so that I can stay in touch with my medical professionals.

    Reply

    • Congratulations, Bonita. You are the first person to ever ask that question. We think (in other words, we’re not sure) that you can purchase one of their pay-as-you-go phone plans, but you should check with customer service to make sure.

      Reply

    • Safelink offer a top-up plan that will give you unlimited talk and text for an additional $15, for 30 days of service. You don’t need another phone or number.

      Reply

    • One phone is permitted per household, so assuming that you and your husband live together, that means you can get one.

      Reply

    • Kids are not eligible for the free government cell phone program, Cheyenne. All enrollees must be 18 or older.

      Reply

    • Not possible, Jackie. All free government cell phone customers must be 18 or older.

      Reply

  25. My client, an older man has a government phone. It’s to small for him to read and push the buttons. He’d like an old style flip phone. And he will send back the one he has.

    Reply

    • Finding companies that offer old flip phones is a bit difficult, Pennie. Try calling your service provider to ask about their BYOP (Bring Your Own Phone) program. If they have one, you can purchase an inexpensive flip phone and use it as your free government cell phone. If not, you can always switch to a different service provider that does allow that flexibility.

      Reply

    • Just call 6-1-1 on your free government cell phone. You’ll be connected to customer service and they should be able to make the change you want.

      Reply

  27. My husband has your phone but it cracked and he called for a replacement or put minutes on his old phone but they told him he couldn’t unit January and he lose his minutes!!that’s how you treat a veteran!the phone you sent him ate up his minutes and had a mind of it own so please send a better phone !!!!

    Reply

    • FOR GOD’S SAKE, PEOPLE, WE ARE NOT A LIFELINE SERVICE PROVIDER. WE ARE AN INDEPENDENT INFORMATIONAL WEBSITE. WE ARE AN INDEPENDENT INFORMATIONAL WEBSITE. WE ARE AN INDEPENDENT INFORMATIONAL WEBSITE. WE ARE AN INDEPENDENT INFORMATIONAL WEBSITE. WE ARE AN INDEPENDENT INFORMATIONAL WEBSITE. WE ARE AN INDEPENDENT INFORMATIONAL WEBSITE. WE ARE AN INDEPENDENT INFORMATIONAL WEBSITE. WE ARE AN INDEPENDENT INFORMATIONAL WEBSITE. WE ARE AN INDEPENDENT INFORMATIONAL WEBSITE. WE ARE AN INDEPENDENT INFORMATIONAL WEBSITE. WE ARE AN INDEPENDENT INFORMATIONAL WEBSITE. WE ARE AN INDEPENDENT INFORMATIONAL WEBSITE. WE ARE AN INDEPENDENT INFORMATIONAL WEBSITE. WE ARE AN INDEPENDENT INFORMATIONAL WEBSITE.

      HAVE WE MADE OUR POINT?

      Reply

  29. I live with someone and they don”t support me and my SSI income is below $5000 a year. I do not know what their income is and can’t give that private information. I help out in many ways to keep a roof over my head and buy most of my own food but sometimes we share and it seems one is not allowed to share anything. I guess people lie about that. I don’t want to lie. I don’t want to become homeless to qualify for a free phone but really need one to not be phone dependent. Any information is appreciated.

    Reply

    • Unfortunately, Chi, the rules of the program require you to report “household” income, which means the combined income for both of you living in the house.

      Reply

  30. We have an old Virgin mobile phone and have a Safelink account with . Can I add the Virgin Mobile phone to the ALCATEL Safelink account?

    Reply

    • We have chosen to never answer this specific question, Carol. Only your service provider’s customer service team can give you an accurate answer.

      Reply

  31. I’m a mother of two and living with a family friend. She has her own government phone. I would like to know if I could get one . I perpare my own meals for my kid’s and myself. I gave my own food stamp card and my kid’s and I have medicaid cards. I need one so I can find a job and use it for my appointments. Can you please help me.

    Reply

    • No. That would require two different Lifeline free government cell phone accounts and each household is limited to one account.

      Reply

        • Two (or more) people in the same household can have free government cell phones under certain special conditions. They must be able to prove that they live independently and do not share expenses. For example, one could be a tenant who pays rent to the other and buys all his own food.

          Reply

    • We’re not sure what that means, Kelvin. Why doesn’t the current household member use the address?

      Reply

  35. My name is Jackie corsaro I had a SafeLink Lifeline phone I’m 65 years old I lost it can’t find it I turned it into SafeLink they supposedly turned it off and told me I wasn’t able to get another one I called qlink and and register for one of theirs they kept telling me I had a Lifeline in my phone which I do not I have been without a phone for over 6 months and they are denying me a phone could you please let me know something my number is 317-771-**** this is my sister’s phone Jenny corsaro

    Reply

    • We’re unable to “let you know something” because we’re a independent informational website and, therefore, do not have access to your account information. It sounds like you may have cancelled your phone before you were eligible to do so. But that’s purely a guess on our part.

      Reply

  36. I had a government phone then I cancelled it for about a week then I went back with the same company and reapplied then all of a sudden the old phone started working again but I have a new phone on the way what should I do?

    Reply

    • Contact customer service by calling 6-1-1 on your free government cell phone. They will be able to tell you what to do.

      Reply

  37. I live in a two family house I live in the top floor but we are not related but I apply for a phone and they told Me that i can’t get one because some one have one under that address.
    How can i get one please help really need it…
    Thank you .

    Reply

  38. When I went to apply for a free phone I got denied due to someone else got a phone in my name! How do I find out who? And so I can cancel the service

    Reply

  40. I go through qlink Wireless and someone has stolen my cell phone but I can’t afford the $25 to replace it can I apply to a different company without getting in trouble?

    Reply

  41. I saw this person at a access wireless booth at a hospital occasion and I asked how many cell phone per household and he replied 2 per household and explained the reason then I called access wireless if its true that 2 cell phone per household is eligible and access wireless said only one per household,so who is telling the truth?

    Reply

    • Not true, Charles. The information you were given is 100% wrong. Only one free government cell phone per household.

      Reply

  42. Hi my mom has a lifeline land line and I would like to apply for a safe link cell phone can I without her having to get rid of her life line

    Reply

    • Unfortunately, Tim, only one Lifeline account (either land line or cell phone) is permitted per household.

      Reply

  43. I have a government cell phone I have 3 kids. How could I get them for my kids if possible. They need them bad.

    Reply

    • Two problems, David. First, only one free government cell phone is permitted per household. Second, they must be 18 in order to qualify for the program.

      Reply

      • so if they are 18 or older they can get one and still be in the same household? and you just said the fcc is allowing more then one ore household im confused now. bcause my son is over 20 and on my snap bennfits and he needs his own .

        Reply

        • Those were answers to two different questions, Faye. Only one cell phone is permitted per household UNLESS the people applying for the phones can prove that they do not live as one family. But anyone who applies for a free government cell phone must be 18 or older.

          Reply

  44. We have a free phone already one in the household but somebody got another one but used a different address now there are two what do you do

    Reply

    • If you’re all part of the same “economic unit,” you can’t have two phones in the same house. One economic unit means you’re all living as a family unit. If, for example, you are merely unrelated roommates or if one of the people with a phone rents a room from the others, you can probably get away with two phones. But you should call customer service at both companies to make sure they understand what’s going on. Otherwise you run the risk of being snared by the NLAD (National Lifeline Assistance Database).

      Reply

  47. I live with a roommate(just a roommate) who has a Safelink phone. We share rent, but nothing else. Am I eligible for a phone of my own?

    Reply

    • Only one phone is allowed per household. I know it doesn’t seem fair, but we can understand how this is the most simple way to control fraud.

      Reply

    • Actually Jenny you can receive a government phone as long as you and your roommate are two separate households living under the same roof. I have a roommate and I receive Medicaid, Food Stamps, etc. I have a Q-link government phone. I live in this house and pay a separate rental fee. He also has his own Free Government cell phone. As long you both aren’t considered “Sharing bills and rent”. You have to claim yourself as another household. There a many families who share homes together and each are their own. Here’s an article to help you receive that phone and there’s a list of providers as well on this website….
      http://www.obamaphone.com/obama-phone-faqs
      **Make sure you claim yourself as a separate household**
      Good Luck

      Reply

  48. I’m hoping to be a representative for q link / lifeline and Safelink. I went out and trained for 1 day now I’m getting all the info together I’m hoping to also offer free home phone and free home internet I’ve just started my research hopefully I can open by 1/14/17 also I want to post classified adds looking for donations for advertising/ a 150$ deposit for the notebook for submitting applications a mobile device with unlimited data talk & text 64$ a month information broshers 100 $ to start dress cloth 100$ donations like a note book from a pawn shops donation by the news papers for my advertising and a sleeve of blank office paper to print my fliers I can type set ariganalls find a outfit to donate the printing any assoc out there to donate towards my start up overhead any sagestion thoughts or contacts OK well I’m done with this post time to switch gears!! posting by *******@gmail.com GOD BLESS

    Reply

    • We don’t have a clue what you’re talking about, Daniel, but we wish you the best of luck with your endeavor.

      Reply

    • You can only have one Lifeline discount per household, Nancy. So if you apply for a free government cell phone, you will be required to give up your landline.

      Reply

  50. I told the person giving out free phones that i already had one they insisted that if was a different company *still a government phone* and now my original phone is disconnected. How do i get rid of the second phone abs get my original phone activated.

    Reply

    • When you switch from one company to another, you cannot switch again (or switch back) for 60 days. After that, you simply contact the company you want to switch to and it will take care of the entire process.

      But your experience reinforces our belief that no on should sign up at these street tents or booths. Always enroll by phone or online to avoid this kind of problem.

      Reply

  52. how to apply for more than one phone then? do you just go to the lifeline provider website? i don’t see one on safelink site. they only limit one per household.

    Reply

    • This is the kind of issue you need to discuss with your service provider’s customer service team, Nem. But make sure you have our article in front of you when you contact them, because the rep you reach may not know about this FCC ruling. If necessary, ask for a supervisor.

      Reply

  53. today i applied for a free phone infront of the welfare. they asked for my id, medicaid and last four of social. they had a tablet where they were putting the info. i’m not sure if it was this company but they said they allow two per household. is there any way i can check which phone i am getting or whether or not i was scammed? i’m worried now.

    Reply

    • We do not want to scare you unnecessarily, Damaris, but we’d be worried, too. It’s NOT true that you can have two free government cell phones per household. One is the legal limit.

      This is one reason we advise readers to enroll in the Lifeline program by phone or online. There have been too many cases of fraud and abuse from the street tents and booths.

      There is no way for you to check which phone you’re getting if you do not know the name of the company with which you applied.

      Reply

    • Sorry, Jazmin, but you cannot get a free government cell phone if you are under 18.

      Reply

  55. There still should be another change in the rule,what about the fact that only ONE parent can have a lifeline phone. What good is that when like for example my wife works and has a lifeline phone and I the father am the stay at home dad who is daycare for our child but i dont have nor can afford a phone so how am i suppose to contact my wife or anyone for that matter if an emergency arises? Like i said whats the use of only one parent allowed a lifeline. NOT FAIR! Especially when i know people for a fact have 5-15 govt phones in households.

    Reply

  56. I recently got approved for qlink wireless and life wireless. They are both government phone programs. Will I have to shut one off? If so I want to shut the life wireless one off cause the qlink phone and plan is better. If I need to shut one off how do I do so?

    Reply

    • You need to cancel one of those accounts IMMEDIATELY, LittleB23. The USAC operates a national database of free government cell phone accounts and they discover that you have two accounts you will lose one of them for sure and maybe both of them.

      Reply

  57. I’m actually trying to get information regarding the free phone program. Why are the companies now asking for people to pay to replace the phones? If anyone can point me in the right direction to get the answer to this question I would appreciate that. These companies are actually asking to be paid $20.00 or more to replace a lost or stolen phone and I think these companies are scamming people with this being that the government is paying them. And why should you pay for something that’s suppose to be free. So please if anyone has any information concerning this please respond. Thank You.

    Reply

    • The companies are legally required to provide customers with one free phone. Unfortunately, there is no incentive for them to offer a second free phone. But in this case we support the phone companies and think that $20 is a very reasonable price to replace a phone you lost.

      Reply

    • Really? They give you something free, you lose it, then complain for more, more, more.Its 20 damn dollars. Geez the nerve you have. Your comment is probably the stupidest I’ve heard in 2016. You really don’t think that’s reasonable? I really don’t understand your logic or why people expect anything and everything to be handed to them from the government. Next you’ll be complaining that the government doesn’t have people coming to your home to hand feed you and your kids everyday.

      Reply

      • Hey, Zal, let us know if you hear about a free program in which government people come to its customers homes and feeds everyone in the house. We’ll start a website dedicated to that service.

        Reply

      • Actually YOUR response to the comment os the stupidest of 2016. If YOU lost YOUR phone why should anybody be obligated to provide YOUR IRRESPONSIBLE self another free phone? I trip on people who make any complaints other than technical issues cuz its FREE people…ungrateful ass people i swear!

        Reply

  58. What if somebody wants their kid too have one while theyre at work but they are under age.? Can my mom have another phone in her name ?

    Reply

  59. I live with my mother, I have no income at all. They had a stand where we could go to get the free phone, and they gave her and I both one. Is this considered fraud? The more I read up on them the more I feel uncomfortable to have one. If this is considered fraud how do I turn it off? I have looked everywhere and have no idea what company it’s through.

    Reply

    • Yes, it’s against the rules, but you are not going to get into any trouble. What will happen is that sometime in the future you will get a letter that says that you have two phones for your address and that you need to select which on to keep. If you want to know who your provider is now, try dialing 611 and see what customer service dept answers.

      Reply

  60. I work with low income families. They don’t get one per economic unit they get 2 per person. Safelink, Assurance etc. Recently I’m seeing more and more with 2 phones cause then they have enough minutes without having to buy more. FRAUD!

    Reply

  61. I don’t have a free phone , but my sister does. I would like to purchase a case and headphones for her .She does not know the model nor the brand of her free phone. The phone was given to her in a zip-lock style plastic bag that had no info or user’s manual. The phone is a small candybar style , simple , approx. 3 in. x 1 1/2′ x 1/2′ thick. If someone has any info about this phone model, can you help me ?

    Thank You

    Reply

  63. I would like to be a provider for the free government cellphone program. Who do I contact about this to apply?

    Reply

  66. I’m currently with verizon wireless, I have two phones that I pay for. The second phone cost’s me 10 dollars. That phone is for my life mate, I’m on ssi and food stamps. My life mate in on early ss becouse of dissability. I want to know if I can keep my phone numbers, and still get two phones. Or if she has to apply, but my problem is both phones are in my name.

    Can I get 2 phones and keep my numbers ? 216-695-3510 Thank You

    WillIam Anderson

    Reply
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