cell phone service free (Lifelink/Linkup)

SafeLink Wireless is one of several cell phone companies that use the Lifelife/Linkup program to offer qualifying customers FREE cellular service. SafeLink Wireless is currently available in Alabama, Connecticut, D. of Columbia, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin. Soon, SafeLink Wireless service will be offered in the other states. click here to get to the SafeLink website

If your state is not listed, call your Public Utility Commission. To find the Public Utility Commission where you live, click on this link: www.naruc.org/commissions.cfm.

HOW TO APPLY FOR LIFELINE & LINK-UP?

Contact your local telephone company to make sure that you qualify for these benefits in your state and to request an application form.

If your local telephone company is not authorized to provide Lifeline or Link-Up discounts in your area, contact your state public utility commission or consumer advocate office to locate an authorized service provider. To find the Public Utility Commission where you live, click on this link: www.naruc.org/commissions.cfm.

CONSUMER DISCOUNTS ON TELEPHONE SERVICE UNDER

FEDERAL UNIVERSAL SERVICE PROGRAMS

Lifeline - can save you at least $10 a month on your phone bills, depending on what state you live in and which phone company in your area provides this program. To find out if your state offers these additional discounts, contact your state’s public utility commission, www.naruc.org/commissions.cfm.

Link-Up - Link-Up pays up to $30.00 of a qualified consumer’s home phone startup fees (even if it’s a cell phone), not including the cost of the phone. Link-Up also lets consumers borrow up to $200 of set-up fees, interest-free, for up to one year.

ARE YOU ELIGIBLE?

These discounts are available to qualifying consumers throughout the country, although eligibility requirements vary from state to state. Some states have broader categories for eligibility so that more people will qualify. That is why it is important to know how your state runs these programs. To find out the criteria for your state, go to www.lifelinesupport.org/li/low-income/lifelinesupport/browser/.

If your state uses the federal categories, those standards require either that consumers have a total household income that does not exceed 135% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines OR that they participate in one of the following programs:

• Medicaid
• Food Stamps
• Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
• Federal Public Housing Assistance (Section 8)
• Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
• Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) or
• The National School Lunch Programs Free Lunch Program

The info above about the Lifelink/Linkup program is from Lifeline.gov site; go there for more info