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NOTICE: Thanks to the new Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), you can now get Unlimited Data AND a free government cell phone at the same time. For more info, click here
IMPORTANT: We have removed this company from our list of active Lifeline providers. They don’t really have a free plan and they don’t specifically call out Lifeline nor ACP on their website.
Copper Valley Wireless is another one of those Alaskan cell phone companies that offers $1 per month government cell phone program instead of the “standard” free government cell phone program found in most of the other states. (Note: The actual cost of the program is considerably more than $1 per month, but the company applies discounts that bring the cost down to that very affordable price).
Here’s what you get for your dollar per month: unlimited local talk, 450 nationwide minutes per month, and unlimited texting. In addition, you’ll get unlimited nights and weekends calling, and unlimited mobile-mobile calling. Of course, the program is only available to customers whose primary residence is within Copper Valley Wireless’ service area.
The following lays it all out very clearly.
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Local minutes – Unlimited
Texting – Unlimited
Nights/Weekends – Unlimited
Mobile to mobile – Unlimited
Long distance – Alaska – Unlimited
Roaming – Alaska – Unlimited
Nationwide minutes – 450
Additional nationwide – 0.35¢
Roaming minutes – Lower 49/Canada – 0.15¢
Long Distance – Lower 49/Canada – 0.15¢
Let’s go back, for just a second, to where we said Lifeline $1 per month government cell phones are “only available to customers whose primary residence is within the Copper Valley Wireless service area.”
Copper Valley offers service in Valdez and the Copper River Valley, a mostly-rural area in East Alaska almost directly east of Anchorage. Here’s a little directional help to aid you in determining if you live in the Copper Valley Wireless service area and can, therefore, apply for its Lifeline Assistance program.
The Copper Valley reaches from Eureka Summit on the Glenn Highway to Tiekel on the Richardson Highway north of Valdez over to Mentasta on the Tok Cutoff, up to Paxson on the north Richardson Highway, and over to about the Maclaren River Lodge on the Denali Highway. Most folks also include Chitina, McCarthy and Kennicott. Neighboring Valdez sits on the northeast tip of Prince William Sound.
The area covers 20,649 square miles and sits amid the Chugach National Forest to the south, the Alaska Range to the north, Wrangell Mountains of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve to the east, and the Talkeetna and Chugach Mountains to the west.
Copper Valley offers telephone service across a region covering 9400 square miles and includes Valdez, Glennallen, Tatitlek, Copper River Basin, Chitina, McCarthy and Mentasta.
The Chamber of Commerce says, “The exact population of the region is not hammered down, and never has been.” But informed estimates say around 3,000 people live in the Copper River Valley, in dozens of self-defined communities, and another 4,300 or so live in Valdez.
As is common with most rural areas in Alaska, poverty rates and unemployment are high, which is why we hope EVERYONE who qualifies for the Lifeline Assistance program in the Copper River Basin and Valdez applies soon and gets a $1 per month cell phone.
Be Sure to Compare Copper Valley Wireless with Other Options in Your State
This is just one of the many Lifeline Cell Phone providers in your state. Some states have over a dozen cell phone providers to choose from. Plans and phone choices often vary substantially between providers and you owe it to yourself to look at them all. To begin your comparison shopping, please see our phone providers by state page and click on your state.
Contact:
Copper River Wireless
329 Fairbanks Drive
Valdez, AK 99686
Phone: 800-478-6612
Website: cvinternet.net
Latest News on Copper River Wireless:
