Free Cell Phone from the State for the poor

[whalesong]

Our tax dollars at work. If your are living below the poverty level, you qualify for this service. Let's hope they use their minutes wisely to gain employment, so they can pay for the next person in line! https://www.safelinkwireless.com/Enrollm..._qlfy.aspx
The working class seem to be getting less and less by the day, while the entitlement class, are have no incentive to WORK for a living!

[mdd7000]

You should have paid attention to the details.

This is not a taxpayer supported program.
It is not available in Hawaii.
They get a basic cell phone and 60 minutes per month.

[Rob Tucker]

mdd7000, You appear to be correct. This is not available in Hawaii.

I have been informed as follows and reopen the topic:

FYI, whalesongs post about the free phone service does apply to Hawaii. It's administered by DCCA through Hawaii Telecom funded by the phone companies. The link provided was for a specific company on the mainland that does not serve Hawaii, but Hawaii Telecom does have the same service.

[Bob Orts]

and it'd not free, but discounted service. I beleive on Hawaii its discounted basic service with no frills attached. Cell service is only provided if no landlines are available in your area. Check for Lifeline or Link-up on Hawaiian Telcom web site. This has been availble since the 1980's. Primary goal was to provide basic communications to all especially for emergency calls. I do wonder how many people without phone service in Puna would qualify if they were aware of the program? In some areas you get 9-1-1 and local calls only.

[Rob Tucker]

Sounds like a good idea.

[808blogger]

and so my mention of the fact that it is paid for via the USF is gone? This is paid for by tax payers. Just like a gas tax.....my point is on topic and Now VALID IN HAWAII!

also its what did rob say? "Administered by the DCCA" well i dont think the DCCA works for free now... TAX PAYER FUNDED...

but i have a screen shot for posterity! must have mentioned the "O"...
https://hawaiifreestorage.com/webfm_send/180

[808blogger]

http://www.hawaiiantel.com/Support/ABOUT...fault.aspx

is this what is being refered to? because this is not a cell phone, this is Universal Life Line (another version of the cell phone program onlyfor land lines, read: government subsidized phones)

provide a link the the wireless version of this supported via hawaiiantelcom. so far this is just hearsay

bob orts: Its damn near free. Its a novelty fee.

[KeaauRich]

For the recoprd (as someone who worked for a telco for 26+ years) lifeline, linkup and high cost rural phone subsidies are not funded by the gov't or telcos - they are mandated by the gov't but funded from surcharges on customer bills (or in the case of large businesses, cooked into their rates). Telco's would love for this to be a gov't subsidy because they bear a huge administrative burden collecting these fees...not to mention the inequity of poor customers in urban areas (where it is relatively cheap to provide service) paying a surcharge to subsidize phone service in high cost areas like Aspen.

[ric]

This is just another handout, a way to give stuff to so-called 'poor people'. In my experience working with inner-city families, 95% of them have more NEW electronics than my family does. The need for this is mostly fabricated.

FURTHERMORE, I thought that unactivated cell phones can be used to call 911. So they could just donate all of everyones old cell phones when they get new ones to this program. But of course, I should mention, in the inner-city, most of the so-called poor people have iPhones or Blackberry's, and wouldn't be happy with the crappy no-frills phones that I buy.

This program is poorly thought out, could have been done for free with old phones, and I guess most of these phones will be sold or traded for drugs.

[808blogger]

Uh thats called a tax, Government doesnt "fund itself" either, people pay on their tax bills, I would like to see you get a USF removed from your bill. If you can then its not a tax. If you cannot it is a tax, the government MANDATES ITS COLLECTION AND USE.. thats a TAX, would the telcos create such a scheme on their own? nope.

you are just participating in the double talk.

quote:

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Originally posted by KeaauRich

For the recoprd (as someone who worked for a telco for 26+ years) lifeline, linkup and high cost rural phone subsidies are not funded by the gov't or telcos - they are mandated by the gov't but funded from surcharges on customer bills (or in the case of large businesses, cooked into their rates). Telco's would love for this to be a gov't subsidy because they bear a huge administrative burden collecting these fees...not to mention the inequity of poor customers in urban areas (where it is relatively cheap to provide service) paying a surcharge to subsidize phone service in high cost areas like Aspen.

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