this post was submitted on 01 May 2024
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Oh hey, I heard the funding for that dried up. ... Because I went looking for ways to not spend $50/mo for a working phone while I'm sleeping in somebody's closet and have no income ๐ Happen to know people who don't even have the closet, but I'm sure they don't need phone service either.
[Maximum Sarcasm] I'm sure the money's going somewhere more important, though.
Hey, how many gig workers are barely scraping by and need programs like this or everybody's Uber Eats orders are gonna uber eat dirt? Just a thought. Maybe taking a little care of the people at the bottom who prop up everything else is kinda asinine to not do. Grr, I say.
Like someone else said, Lifeline is still a thing. For mobile phone plans it isn't quite as good as the old Lifeline + ACP combo where some were offering Unlimited minutes, text and data. Most are 500-1000 minutes, unlimited text, 4-5GB data.
You have to be on SNAP, Medicaid, or some other federal programs OR meet the income requirements. If you sign up online now they kick you over to a National Verification site to check your eligibility. It's pretty quick and painless. Then you'll get a free (shitty) phone, or a SIM card on some that do BYOP.
The Lifeline program is still available. The way they explain it is confusing, but the "discount" covers the complete cost of service for most Lifeline providers, so it works out to free. You just need to be receiving any federal public assistance -- Medicaid, food stamps, TANF, anything.
ACP was more of a broadband program with phone service attached, Lifeline is more of a phone program with some data attached. If you happen to have an unlocked phone, many lifeline carriers support bringing your own device to some extent.
https://www.fcc.gov/lifeline-consumers
Tello, 100 minutes talk/unl text/a gig of data, $6. Uses the tmo network. You can also port your number to Google voice for a $20 one-time fee and have unlimited voice/msgs, as long as you have wifi service. Uses the Voice app.
Tello is my second number, few years now, had no issues. Used to have GV back when I had no money as a teenager, and would use my tablet as a phone. Worked surprisingly well.
Thanks for the ideas! May go for Tello soonish.
US mobile, $25/mo Verizon based MVNO
Thanks!