Safelink Wireless: First Come First Serve

SafeLink Wireless is a program supported by the federal government in order to provide free prepaid cell phones and airtime minutes to people who are below a certain income and receive state funded benefits. This is called the Lifeline service and it varies from state to state. Application is easy and qualifications are that the individual "participates in state and/or federal assistance programs; total household income is below the state and/or federal poverty line; you have a valid United States postal address and can receive mail to that address, and lastly that no one else in your household has a Lifeline phone.

This seems like a wonderful program and very well could be, if you don't live in an apartment building. This may sound strange considering that the majority of people who would qualify for this service most likely live in an apartment building. SafeLink Wireless does not take into account when a person applies that units or apartments in buildings are separate households. Meaning that if one person in a 10 unit apartment building applies for the Lifeline phone and receives it, that no one else in the entire building will be eligible to apply for a receive a Lifeline phone.

Upon calling SafeLink Wireless and asking why this is the situation I was told by a very informative customer service representative who asked to remain anonymous " Each building has a street address. If the street address has been entered once then that is the limit of Lifeline phones that can be sent out. Apartment numbers aren't considered homes." Though I think this was more a semantic issue it does shed some light on the way that the federal government views poverty level income apartment renters. Not considered, not counted and in the eyes of this program just do not exist.

An apartment number is a valid United States postal address and mail is received at most if not all of them and when claiming or paying taxes an apartment unit is definitely considered a household. They why is it not for such a benevolent service such as SafeLink Lifeline? When asked to speak to a supervisor the anonymous representative responded with, "He is to busy to take your call but he has assured me that this is just a problem in the system and we hope to have apartment and unit numbers registered as separate households soon." Not soon enough for the single mother who cant afford the outlandish phone rates charged from providers such as Verizon and Comcast just to have a phone without and features to be able to make basic calls. Although if that single mother is the first one in the building to apply she just may get the phone with this first come only one served government program.

www.safelinkwireless.com