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Major victory for needy Americans: FCC agrees to give free government cell phones to homeless

After years of prodding by FreeGovernmentCellPhones.net the Federal Communications has finally fixed one of the major flaws in the Lifeline Assistance program. Until now the homeless, perhaps the neediest of Americans, had been intentionally (and stupidly) declared ineligible for this program designed to help the needy.

homeless free cell phones

Now the homeless and others in shelters can get free cell phones.

But now the FCC has announced several changes to correct eligibility problems and made millions of additional Americans eligible for free government cell phones.

The FCC announcement said, “… [W]e adopt a requirement that, prior to providing service to a consumer, an ETC must obtain that consumer’s permanent residential address, unless they only have a temporary address.”

They continued, “… [W]e codify additional protections to be implemented by those ETCs that serve consumers without a permanent residential address, in order to assist ETCs in more easily verifying such consumers’ continued eligibility for the program.

Please allow us to translate that into English from the arcane language used by bureaucrats: The rules have now changed so that temporary residents of homeless shelter, women’s shelters, veterans shelters and any other multi-family address can now use the shelters’ addresses to qualify for a free government cell phone. This is, of course, excellent news for incredibly needy, incredibly vulnerable Americans. The only caveat is that residents of temporary shelters must re-verify their temporary residence address every 90 days.

But the good news just keeps coming. The FCC announcement also said, “… [R]ecognizing that there are instances where multiple households (i.e., families) reside at the same address we implement procedures to enable applicants in such circumstances to demonstrate at enrollment that other Lifeline recipients residing at the same address are a separate household.”

In other words, in these terrible economic times, when multiple families often share expenses by living together in one home, both families will now be eligible for free government cell phones.

The FCC retained some restrictions, however, in order to protect the program against fraud. They said, “Lifeline applicants will not be permitted to use a P.O. Box address as their Lifeline address. We are concerned that some subscribers could list a P.O. Box as their address in an effort to avoid complying with our one-per-household requirement.”

The new FCC rules constitute a major victory of FreeGovernmentCellPhones.net, its readers, and needy Americans. We congratulate the Federal Communications Commission for making these long-needed rule changes.

Source: FCC

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Comments

    • It’s in the fifth paragraph, Larry. You need to be at least a temporary resident of a homeless shelter to enroll.

      Reply

  2. im a new jersey resident who became homeless over a year ago! assurance wireless refuses to accept my application for a recertify. I let assurance know along with everyone else where I was moving to. since ive been living in a shelter, my address was not changed. the recertify went to a former address. because I live with people in a shelter who are unrelated to me ive had my application kicked back and or denied because of my address.i had my caseworker help me fill out the forms fully along with a shelter form and it was faxed. caseworker has proof it went but assurance said they didn’t get it. ive had to pay 10 cents per minutes for some time now. its really getting unbelievable. am I being discriminated against???

    Reply

    • There’s no way for us to know what’s going on in your individual case, James. Have you spoken to customer service at Assurance?

      Reply

    • Just click around on this website for all the info you need, Ginger. Start with “Do You Qualify” in the navigation bar at the top of this page and work your way across.

      Reply

  4. Doesn’t do any good for people who can’t get into temporary housing. And a cell phone is one of the things standing between me and getting on my feet. Too many circularly exclusive barriers that just lead right back around to being out of luck. I’ve given up once again because the system is not designed to help people. I thought maybe I’d try again, but once more I’m reminded why I gave up in the first place. The War on Poverty and the War on Homelessness are actually wars on the poor and homeless.

    Reply

  5. Heres the problem im facing. Im homeless with no fixed address. How am i suppose to get one of these free cell phones if no one is willing to let me use their address? Im in a do or die situation right now n having a working cell phone could make a difference between life n death.

    Reply

    • We feel your pain, Sandra. You have run right smack dab into one of the biggest flaws in the free government cell phone program. The last time we communicated with the USAC they said they were aware of this problem and working on a solution. But so far, nothing.

      Reply

    • Do like Illinois people do use the local PADS address, get a driver’s license and then get all the benefits and never work again. Get free meals, go to cross-n-crown and get free clothing, free haircuts, free laundry, free cellphone, free laptops, free link card, free gift cards, ect.

      Reply

  6. I’ve been going by the welfare place to get a Obama cell phone I’ve been three times there and they tell me that I need an address that I cant use the g.r address. I think that are a bunch of liers

    Reply

    • We don’t know what a g.r. address is, but we can tell you that Lifeline regulations say that you must have a valid street address to qualify for the program.

      Reply

    • The problem he’ll face, Rolonda, is that he must have a street address to get a phone. Does he live in a homeless shelter? Exceptions to the rule are made for people who live in group homes such as homeless shelters.

      Reply

  8. Oh, the Reptilian Jew Telepathic Scumbags that own the government and who pay the phoney phone providers with Billions are afraid of fraud? What a joke. You have a valid I.D. and Foo Stamp Card the phone is yours! Period! Oh, I might make mulitiple I.D.’s and Fake Foo Stamp Cards. Will somebody explain to the Foo CC that the phone data base is also keyed off of the applicants name. Oh, I’ll just make 1000 I.D.s withthe name John Smith and use different addresses on each of them and then get 1000 free phones. Hey, this guy doesn’t look like John Smith? Ha Ha Ha! We are Foo F***ed! You are homeless because the Reptilian Jew government kicked you out of the Jew USA and the Reptilians are all Telepathic and don’t use or need phones. Steal all the phones and free stupid service you want because the Reptilian Jews control the phoney phone system and the Net!

    Reply

    • You are a sick, sick son of a bitch, Dr. Wayne E. Mango, PhD. We approved your comment only to show our readers the kind of lunatics who lurk out there. We’d like to think you are the exception and most of the world is filled with kind, caring people, NOT paranoid, neurotic, anti-Semitic losers.

      Reply

  9. Could someone from the FCC contact me please Ive been working for the Safelink program helping ppl sign up for phones . Working under a guy name Ed and the other one name is John I have yet to receive my pay check and I still have some phones and etc . Can someone please contact me about this matter this is unprofessional. I got all my apps approved and now they are not willing to pay me and keep texting my phone using foul language when I ask for my check

    Reply

  11. Hello i guess someone stole my id and information to get them a free phone though one of the free cell phone places because for 4 days i have had to get all the right paper work to see if i was able to get one myself and qas told that i have one and account us frozen due to some one has one already so i can say that 6months ago or now i do not have a cell phone and 6 months ago i had a phone which was though tmobile and i will send proof of that if u need it but no need to lie i dont have a phone and would like one and whoever has heen useing my name n id to access one them self i wantbtonpress charges please

    Reply

    • A couple things, Shaneen. First, we can’t help you press any charges because we are not the police. Second, T-Mobile does NOT offer free government cell phones. The company only offers a discount Lifeline cell phone plan. Third, you should be able to clear up the confusion about your eligibility by contacting your service provider’s customer service team. Ask to speak to a supervisor and tell them you need help clearing up a mistake in the National Lifeline Assistance Database (NLAD).

      Reply

  12. I’m homeless and was in a accident 4/22/2011 where I went into a coma and had severe brain trauma. I don’t know what yo do but I need help. My girlfriend left me and had all of my information for just about everything. Please help me get a phone please

    Reply

  13. The intention of this article might be correct, but the facts are VERY wrong for Tulsa, OK. I sometimes stay at a homeless shelter (the Salvation Army when it gets below freezing), but the streets most of the time. (I would love to get a house or apartment, but I can never get one.) EVERY government phone provider inm Tulsa, OK (maybe the whole state) says that ALL of the homeless shelters in town are disqualified for this. Why? Because their programs classify all hiomeless shelters as BUSINESSES. & yes, their programs REQUIRE that you have an address (a non-business address), & that you can PROVE that you live there, in writing (a bill or a landlord’s lease or such).

    Reply

    • First time we’ve heard that one, Yumi. If it’s true, it’s contrary to the rules of Lifeline.

      Reply

  16. I have been trying to assist someone that is homeless and staying in a shelter to get a phone. I included a letter from the agency where he is receiving services but they are still requiring additional information before they supportive him. How can this agency get a waiver our something to avoid unnecessary delays?

    Reply

  18. WHERE GO I GET A FREE CELL NEAR GILROY,CA. I AM HOMELESS, PERMENTELY DISABLE. HEART AND BACK INJURIES PREVENT ME FROM WORKING ANY TYPE OF JOB. PLEASE HELP.

    Reply

  20. What about homeless people who don’t live in a shelter, but live in their cars or outside, like many in California do??

    Also, the requirement to re-certify every 90 days is very strict.

    Reply
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