Tracfone

Free TracFone Cell Phones

Low-income Wisconsin residents may be eligible for free TracFone cell phones

Tracfone wants to give cell phones to Wisconsin residents who can't pay for them.

TracFone: Free Shipping on orders $19.99+!

In a subsidized campaign called Lifeline, the pay-as-you-go company this week introduced a program that gives free cell phones and 60 minutes of use per month to eligible households. The requirements are not stringent and rely on eligibility thresholds for federal income guidelines or participation in at least one of seven state public assistance programs. 

Salvation Army Major Paul Moore said the program, Safelink, will be welcome among the Madison population he serves for keeping in touch with family and potential employers.

At the Community Action Commission of South Western Wisconsin, where counselors have advised poor families on how to find cheap telecommunication services, Anna Lightbourn said "access to cell phones such as TracFone  is our number one request.  

Tracfone

"They need to connect with the services in the community, and many places you have to leave messages and that means someone has to call back. Many people need to stay in touch with their support network," she said.

Moore, at the Salvation Army, said many of the people who use that agency's services are separated from their families, and a Tracfone cell phone is the only way for them to stay connected.

"It would be helpful for people who are trying to stay in touch with potential employers, potential landlords or just trying to take care of their physical needs," he said.

Safelink is Tracfones version of the cell phone component of the federal program Lifeline, which already exists in Wisconsin as a subsidy of landline telephone service, an option selected by 80,000 state households, according to Public Service Commission officials.

Tracfone Wireless, with 10 million subscribers in the United States, receives a subsidy through a federal law intended to cover communication needs of the poor. That subsidy comes from a tax applied to cell phone bills. The company plan was approved in Wisconsin by the PSC fewer than three months ago, said Jose Fuentes, director of government relations for Tracfone.

Based on 2000 census data on income, Tracfone estimates that 547,000 low-income households in Wisconsin — 36,588 in Dane County — would qualify for the program.

If the 60 minutes are used up, additional minutes can be purchased, also at a subsidized rate, he said. The company's altruism extends to one year, one phone per household and can be renewed if eligibility is authenticated. The motive is clear: Every free phone user is a potential paying customer.

"Our goal is to be active in all 50 states," Fuentes said.

  Grab A Motorola C261 Tracfone