Free Government Cell Phones

Lifeline phone service provides free cell phones to America's financially disadvantaged

Menu
  • Home
  • How to Qualify
  • How to get one
  • States
  • Providers
  • FAQ
  • News
  • Top-Up
  • Earn Money

You win some, you lose some: Georgia rejects fees on free government cell phones, Oklahoma considers fees

November 13, 2014

Opponents of Lifeline Assistance, the free government cell phone program, are as persistent as cockroaches. Just when you start thinking that you’ve eliminated the last of them, a new one scurries across the floor. In this case, the floor of a state house somewhere across the fruited plain.

For example, LifelineLaw.com recently provided this update on the status of the program in Georgia, a state that had threatened to impose a $5 minimum monthly charge on each customer:

On August 5, the Georgia PSC adopted an order rescinding its rule that would have required Lifeline ETCs to either bill and collect a $5 minimum monthly Lifeline rate or offer a Lifeline plan that includes 500 monthly minutes.

The rule was adopted last October but never actually took effect, because it was immediately challenged in a Georgia federal district court by CTIA on the ground that such a rule violates the federal Communications Act’s prohibition of state regulation of wireless phone rates. Last December the district court issued a preliminary injunction against the rule.

To paraphrase Job 1:21, The Lord giveth and The Lord taketh away. Because on the same day that the Georgia Public Service Commission backed off its proposed $5 month charge, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission proposed a $3 monthly fee on Lifeline Assistance customers in the Sooner State.

The very same day, however, yet another state (Oklahoma) initiated a rulemaking proposing a $3 minimum monthly Lifeline rate. As described by the Oklahoma Corporation Commission (“OCC”), the rule would “require that wireless Lifeline customers pay a minimum of $3.00 per month for Lifeline service, to encourage the reduction of waste, fraud and abuse in the Lifeline program.” The new Oklahoma rulemaking also proposes, among other things, to assess a percentage of prepaid wireless revenues for contribution to the Oklahoma state USF fund; require Lifeline ETCs to retain Lifeline subscribers’ eligibility documentation for 90 days; prohibit door-to-door solicitation for Lifeline services; and prohibit cash incentives for customers signing up at Lifeline mobile marketing events.

No one knows the legal ins-and-outs of Lifeline better than Davis Wright Tremaine, the Washington, DC law firm behind LifelineLaw.com. They’ve guided a considerable number of the nation’s Lifeline Assistance companies through the regulatory process and continue to advise them on an on-going basis.

So when they say, “We believe that the minimum rate proposal would violate federal law just as the Georgia rule did, and that the eligibility documentation retention proposal probably violates FCC rules”, we believe them.

In other words, free government cell phone customers in the state of Oklahoma can probably relax. That $3 per month fee will never get off the ground.

Tagged as: Georgia, Lifeline

Want more news from Free Government Cell Phones?

Click here and we'll drop you a line when new articles are up.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comments

  1. Joseph Lugo says

    February 13, 2015 at 10:36 am

    I’m just at a loss of insight when it comes to operating a cellphones,maybe a news artdicle or two will refresh my interest in using one of those things.

    Reply
  2. linda g. wood says

    November 20, 2014 at 6:00 am

    why cannt I use my phone it is saying no service why for I still get food stamps and I get social security every month answer asp please

    Reply
    • Brenda menasco says

      April 23, 2015 at 7:56 am

      Mirco sd chip wasn’t in my phone. I need one how do I get one?

      Reply
Previous Post: 7 ways you can lose your Lifeline/ACP free government cell phone
Next Post: Portland TV station reports latest news on the free government cell phone program. How does it impact you?

Just tell me how to get a Phone!

Confused? Getting a phone is actually very simple. Click here to begin, read every word, and then simply follow the instructions.

Sign up for our Free Newsletter

Click to learn more...

Search this site

More Information

  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Readers' Questions
  • Help
  • Contact
  • About Us

Recent Articles

Horrifying: California giving food stamps to undocumented migrants, taking free government cell phones away from citizens and legal residents

11 things you need to know about the new Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP)

Q Link Wireless raided by FBI, IRS, US Post Office, Sheriffs

Limited time only: Free unlimited talk, unlimited text AND unlimited data

Q Link F ups continue: Company makes it easy to access private customer info

Were our readers right? Are free government cell phones hacked before they’re activated?

Crisis in free government cell phone program: Will new demands kill off service providers?

WTF? Assist Wireless screws up, exposes tens of thousands of customer IDs

Number of free government cell phone customers drops by two million in last three years

Leading industry analyst calls for universal broadband and free government cell phones for everyone who needs them

Latest Reader Comments

  • tony MARTIN on Were our readers right? Are free government cell phones hacked before they’re activated?: “ACTUALLY, YES THEY ARE,, And its well known. privacy??? NO WAY” Jun 9, 13:55
  • tony MARTIN on Which companies offer the best free texting plans? And which ones offer the worst?: “SORRY BUT there IS no charge to get a phone, Q LINK, LIARS AND RIP OFF, Call the owner, hes…” Jun 9, 13:52
  • tony MARTIN on Which companies offer the best free texting plans? And which ones offer the worst?: “YOU DONT buy minutes if you have unlimited,” Jun 9, 13:50
  • tony MARTIN on Which companies offer the best free texting plans? And which ones offer the worst?: “MOST. MOST of the phones they give us are either REFURBISHED, RETURNES OR DAMAGED PHONES, NOT NEW,” Jun 9, 13:49
  • tony MARTIN on Which companies offer the best free texting plans? And which ones offer the worst?: “Dont have to be with them for ANY YEARS,, Tell them to release your name or call NAT’L VERIFICATION to…” Jun 9, 13:47
  • tony MARTIN on Which companies offer the best free texting plans? And which ones offer the worst?: “wrong,you ARE entitled to another free phone but will have to pay if you want the third phone,, Even says…” Jun 9, 13:46
  • tony MARTIN on Which companies offer the best free texting plans? And which ones offer the worst?: “RIGHT, AGAIN SAFE LINK – LIARS ] used to tell my i had no minutes,, How can i NOT have…” Jun 9, 13:44
  • tony MARTIN on Which companies offer the best free texting plans? And which ones offer the worst?: “RIGHT, SAFE LINK ARE LIARS,, I TOO had to re-submit my info 4 times. Said they couldnt read the fax,…” Jun 9, 13:42
  • tony MARTIN on Which companies offer the best free texting plans? And which ones offer the worst?: “I TRIED to drop Q LINK when i had them, THEY WOULD NOT. NOT NOT remove my name, Couldnt go…” Jun 9, 13:39
  • TONY MARTIN on Which companies offer the best free texting plans? And which ones offer the worst?: “Stay away from American ASST. PHONES garbage,Wont get another phone if the one they give you is no good, EVEN…” Jun 9, 13:35
Copyright 2022 FreeGovernmentCellPhones.net. | Privacy Policy | Contact