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Obamaphone Facts

Here are the facts regarding Obamaphone.

    1. "Obamaphone" is actually called the "Lifeline" program.

    2. Obama did not institute the program. Ronald Reagan did in the 1980's.

    3. Contrary to the misinformation out there, Obamaphone IS subsidized by the taxpayers (at a state level).

    4. Lifeline subscribers are only allowed 1 phone per household.

    5. Lifeline covers both cell phone and landline phones.

    6. In order to be eligible for Lifeline, you must have already been approved for one or more of US Government welfare programs.

    7. The program started in Tennessee in 2008 and rapidly spread to all states in America.

    8. In order to qualify, you income as an individual must be under $14,000 a year or $30,000 a year as a family.

    9. Researchers believe that around 35% of the US population is eligible for the Lifeline program.

    10. The phones that are given out "free" are useless pieces of junk and each person is only allotted 60 minutes of talk time every month. Hardly enough for the average American to get by on a month-to-month basis.

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    We here at the FrederickDouglassFoundation.org realize that owning a cell phone in America in this day and age is a necessity, not a privilege. For millions of Americans, walking into a Verizon or Tmobile store and purchasing a $800 smart phone and monthly contract that can total well over $100 is not an option. There are millions of Americans who can’t afford such luxuries in life. So the US Government came out with what they call the “ObamaPhone”. The Obamaphone is a bit of a misnomer. The truth of the matter is that Obama did not create this program, it just happened to get its inception in the year 2008, which is when Obama became president.

    The phone plan commonly known as “Obamaphone” is actually a US Government program called “Lifeline”. It allows low income people to receive a subsidized cellphone and a certain allotment of free minutes every month. This usually amounts to 60 minutes of free talk time every month. Hardly enough for the average person in this day and age. The program varies from state to state, but the overall consensus is that if you qualify, you will receive a free phone and free minutes every month.

    Such companies as Straight Talk Wireless offer coupons and promo codes which, if used intelligently and properly, will help the average low income consumer get the same phone and data plan as people who have the post-paid cell phone plans that usually cost hundreds of dollars every month.

    However, there is a catch: Like anything “free” given out by the US Government, the Obamaphone is pretty pathetic in its offerings. Usually the phone is a cheap refurbished piece of garbage, and the quality and strength of the cell phone network is not that good. 60 minutes of free talk time every month is barely enough time for the average user.

    So we would like to tell people about the alternatives to the Obamaphone. Yes, there are low cost alternatives to the free US Government cell phone that’s allotted for low income people.

    For example, Freedompop.com is a free cell phone carrier. You will need a compatible phone to join it, but such Freedompop compatible cellphones as the HTC Evo 4G can be purchased for less than $30 on eBay. With Freedompop, you will be given unlimited minutes every month as well as unlimited texts. The service piggybacks on the Sprint 4GLTE network, and coverage is wide-spread throughout America. You can earn free data every month by completing various “offers” that Freedompop sends you. Surveys being one of the most popular. Everytime you sign up a friend, you get 500mb of data added to your account every month.

    Yes, we realize $30 can be a lot of money to some people…but if you can scrimp and save for a few months, the offerings of Freedompop and/or Straight Talk are WAY better than the Obamaphone. So before you try to run out and sign up for the Lifeline Program from the FTC, we encourage you to look at your monthly budget and see if you can’t afford to spend a little more, and in return you will be given a lot more. Anything “free” from the US Government is going to be pathetic. They’re in the business of giving the very least amount of social services, while they rape the general tax-paying public and spend our hard earned tax dollars on their own special interests.