Thread: T-Mobile to Offer Discounts for Low Income Floridians

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T-Mobile to offer discount service for low-income Floridians
BY SUSAN SALISBURY
Palm Beach Post
T-Mobile South on Tuesday became one of two traditional wireless carriers to receive a designation that will enable it to offer a discount telephone service to low-income Floridians.

The Florida Public Service Commission allowed T-Mobile to offer the Lifeline Assistance program; Alltel is the other wireless carrier.

T-Mobile can now receive money from the Federal Universal Service Fund, which telecommunications companies are required to contribute to. The fee is often passed on to consumers as a ``Universal Connectivity Fee.''

With the designation, the company also will be able to expand its facilities more quickly in rural areas and lower service costs for rural residents. The company will be required to show that the high-cost funding was invested in infrastructure in Florida, the PSC said.

T-Mobile's Lifeline customers will receive a discounted or free handset based upon the contract term and type of phone. Lifeline customers will get 145 ``whenever'' minutes, 500 night minutes and 500 weekend minutes per month for $6.49. That is a $19.99 plan with a $13.50 Lifeline discount applied. Unused minutes will not carry over to the next month.

Residents who participate in certain public assistance programs or have a qualifying income level are eligible for Lifeline. More than 618,000 Floridians participate in the Lifeline program.

In addition to Altell and now T-Mobile, two prepaid wireless companies, Safelink Wireless (Tracfone) and Virgin Mobile, as well as a number of land line providers, also offer Lifeline programs, Florida Public Service Commission spokeswoman Cindy Muir said.

Customers can apply for the program through the Florida Department of Children & Families' automated application process, the PSC's Lifeline Assistance page at www.floridapsc.com/utilities/telecomm/lifeline/ or by contacting a service provider

Everybody I know that receives Safelink in this area gets ONLY 68 any time minutes/month. NOTHING like the plan in Florida!

Originally Posted by swatchick

T-Mobile's Lifeline customers will receive a discounted or free handset based upon the contract term and type of phone. Lifeline customers will get 145 ``whenever'' minutes, 500 night minutes and 500 weekend minutes per month for $6.49. That is a $19.99 plan with a $13.50 Lifeline discount applied. Unused minutes will not carry over to the next month.

No doubt those Floridians who work for a living and have T-Mobile accounts will be paying or this. Just one kick in the crotch after another for honest working people. I get no discounts for anything, yet I keep seeing my money go to pay for those who too education like a joke and took no time to develop skills. Am I missing something, or is a cell phone something we don't have to have? Perhaps our low-income people should learn to live within their means.