Free Cell Phone Service - Discover Your Options!

Are you in need of free cell phone service?  Well, look no further, because there are a number of options available for income eligible households to get a free prepaid cell phone including free voice minutes and text messages!  Although I describe on the No Free Phones page the fact that prepaid wireless providers don't offer free phones (as do postpaid/contract carriers/plans), there is a large exception.  There are government sponsored programs that have partnered with select prepaid carriers to subsidize the cost of phones and service, enabling access to free phones and service for people that meet the minimum qualifications.


The whole idea of these programs is based on the belief that cell phone service should be accessible to everyone.  Most of us take cell phone service for granted.  Even though I can remember when I was the only one amongst my friends and family who started using my cell phone as my primary phone (i.e. not just for emergencies), these days wireless phones are essentially killing off landlines, with many people even having more than one phone.  In fact, people expect their friends and family to be accessible via cell phone.  This type of mentality can be compared to having access to television; it's just something everyone is expected to have to get along in society.


Is a cell phone a basic human right?
There are, however, two schools of thought.  On the one hand, it seems reasonable to argue that a cell phone is a requirement these days for safety purposes, and that having one is a fundamental right.  Particularly as pay phones have essentially become obsolete.  It also helps people to keep in touch with loved ones while away from home.  That way we know where our loved ones are in case of an emergency, or simply to make life that much more convenient for planning and scheduling our hectic lives.  It's amazing the peace of mind we get from being able to call and say "I'm on my way," or "I'm running late," etc.  And even more so when it comes to getting help when we run into trouble.  This seems to make sense, but there is another school of thought....


The other mentality is that although cell phones are useful, convenient, and can even save lives in an emergency, should having one really be considered a "right?"  If someone is struggling financially to keep a roof over their head, or to get food on the table, should the government really be concerned about getting people access to cell phones?  Wouldn't that money be better spent on housing the homeless, and feeding the hungry.  Particularly in tough economic times when there is less money available for government assistance programs to take care of basic needs, education for children, etc., is it responsible for the government to be spending money on free cell phone service?


Learn more and/or share your thoughts!
I'm actually intentionally not sharing my personal point of view here ;-).  I simply want to provide visitors to this page the different viewpoints, in order to stimulate thought and discussion around this topic.  You can click on the company logos below to learn more about each specific program offering free cell phone service, or you can scroll down to share your thoughts/opinions as to whether or not having access to a cell phone should be a fundamental human right....or not!  You can also learn more about the overall FCC-sponsored Lifeline Phone Service, and changes they're making to help prevent abuse and fraud.

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