FreeGovernmentCellPhones.net says that Lifeline Assistance, the free government cell phone program, has become too popular according to politicians, and must be outlawed
An increasing number of politicians are speaking out against the free government cell phones program and one of them has already introduced a bill into the United States Congress to outlaw the popular program. An expert on the program, FreeGovernmentCellPhones.net, warns low-income Americans to sign up for the program while they still can.
Arkansas Congressman Tim Griffin isn’t the only politician who wants to end the program, but he is the most prominent. He claims the program is so racked with abuse that it must be ended and has introduced a bill in Congress to do just that.
“Some people are getting two, three, four, 10, 20, 30, 40 cell phones.” said Congressman Griffin. “It started costing in the millions and now we’re close to a billion dollars a year.”
Moves to outlaw the popular government program are spreading across the nation. A growing number of local lawmakers in other states have also advocated ending it.
But one expert says these efforts are an overreaction.
“No one’s more against fraud in the system than we are,” said Mark Henry, editor of FreeGovernmentCellPhone.net. “But let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater. If Congressman Griffin knows someone who’s abusing the program, let’s punish that person without punishing the honest Americans who really need it.”
“The politicians are never going to outlaw a program that’s this popular and this successful,” Henry continued. “But they may be able to slow down its growth.”
Comments by another politician, a supporter of the program, seem to reinforce Henry’s point of view. “The FCC needs to crack down on waste, fraud, and abuse within the system,” Arkansas Senator Mark Pryor said in a statement, “but we also need to ensure that those in need have access to affordable phone service in case of emergencies.”
With that in mind, Henry has some advice for low income Americans who need the assistance provided by the Lifeline free government cell phone program.
“Sign up now if you’re eligible. Don’t let this opportunity go to waste. The politicians may be able to slap more restrictions on the program and make it more difficult for you to qualify. So get your free government cell phone now, while you still can.”
About Lifeline: The Lifeline Assistance program offers low-income Americans a free cell phone and 250 free minutes per month, voicemail, call waiting, caller ID and emergency 911 access. To be eligible for a free government cell phone you must already participate in another government assistance program such as Medicaid, Food Stamps/SNAP, Supplemental Security Income/SSI, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families/TANF, Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program/LIHEAP, Section 8 Housing or The National School Lunch Program’s Free Lunch Program (NSL). Even if you don’t participate in one of those programs, you can still qualify if your household income is low enough. The program is currently available in 38 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia.
About FreeGovernmentCellPhones.net: FreeGovernmentCellPhones.net, the nation’s leading authority on the Lifeline Assistance program, offers low-income Americans comprehensive information on the program and helps thousands of them qualify for free government cell phones every month.
Jack says
Patriotgal:
I am sorry to hear you are having problems with your Assurance Wireless account. If you would like to send an email with a way to contact you at Experience@AssuranceWireless.com we would be happy to help you resolve the issues you are having.
patriotgal says
P.S. I think the reason that there are so many government cell phones isn’t because of abuse or fraud, but because there are so many impoverished people in the United States that qualify for them. THAT should be of major concern and this guy’s blowing a smokescreen up our collective arses in order to sweep the issue of rampant, increasing poverty in this country under the proverbial rug.
He should be voted out of office.
patriotgal says
Whatever you do, don’t get Assurance Wireless! Their customer service dept. is a nightmare! I got into an argument with one of their foreign customer service reps about how the billing minutes worked and not only couldn’t he tell me, but then told me they charge 1 minute for each second of a call. I don’t think that’s true, but they should be able to tell people how their service works. Instead, this guy said I shouldn’t care because I wasn’t paying for it anyway, the government was. We ended up in an argument with me finally telling him, “This is why these jobs need to be back in the United States where customer service representatives are trained properly and wouldn’t get away with talking to a customer this way.” He retaliated by suspending my account and switching me over to a paid plan for 20c a minute! I’ve now filed a complaint with the FCC and after hours of talking to people at Assurance Wireless and Virgin Mobile, I was finally told this morning that they were escalating the matter to get me switched back to Assurance Wireless. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but she said it would take 24-72 hours. If they don’t switch it, I guess I’ll be filing a formal complaint with my State Atty General. I don’t know how the other companies work, but this one needs a complete overhaul. No wonder Richard Branson is so filthy rich – the majority of his employees are in other countries, untrained, barely able to speak English, and quite unprofessional. I hope they find out who did this to my account and fire his a$s. But don’t take the chance. Go with another company.
As far as this article is concerned, sounds like this guy from the deep south has been drinking the Tea Party koolaid. NO WAY any one person could get more than ONE phone. How do I know? Because the guy who suspended my account put in there that a second application had come in from the same address as mine. That’s not true, and I verified that with the Applications Dept at Assurance Wireless, but the point is, when there’s a hint of fraud, even this crappy company takes action by suspending the account.
God, I hate liars.
Harsimran Sabharwal says
Is this program going to be available to New York residents? Any idea when?
Free Government Cell Phones says
Already is. Look up to the top menu find the “Check Your State” link. But here’s the direct link for you:
https://www.freegovernmentcellphones.net/states/new-york-government-cell-phone-providers
Ijo says
most company have same terms and cnnidtioos for credit limit, if your friend want to increase credit than she should pay deposit to increase credit limit and once it increased she can adjusted again her bill.
Glen D Kester says
I would like a phone, but I can’t find a place to get on.