# Free Cellphone?? Obama Phone??? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 20, 2010, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-cellphone-obama-phone/547382 "2010-07-20T19:02:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-cellphone-obama-phone/547382/1 "2010-07-20T19:02:12Z")
I have received an email concerning free cellphones provided by federal government funding to welfare recipients: [https://www.safelinkwireless.com/EnrollmentPublic/Home.aspx](https://www.safelinkwireless.com/EnrollmentPublic/Home.aspx) The number of free minutes supplied is determined by income level. The email I received referred to this as the “Obama Phone.” Is this for real? Also, this is the first time I remember seeing a link with an https address? Watcha think,folks? ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-cellphone-obama-phone/547382/2 "2010-07-20T19:08:10Z")
[No](http://www.factcheck.org/2009/10/the-obama-phone/), not true. > [@](#): > > No. Low-income households have been eligible for discounted telephone service for more than a decade. But the program is funded by telecom companies, not by taxes, and the president has nothing to do with it. Check the link for a full explanation. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-cellphone-obama-phone/547382/3 "2010-07-20T19:11:14Z")
I haven’t read through their entire site, but actually they go into depth that this is NOT some “Obama” phone, and a program that has been available for quite some time, paid for by the Telecom industries. Again, have no idea if this is legit - but at least they are not making that claim, according to this [page](https://www.safelinkwireless.com/EnrollmentPublic/benefits.aspx). ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-cellphone-obama-phone/547382/4 "2010-07-20T19:12:45Z")
Oops…sorry for double post of same info…your beat me by a couple minutes, **Ellen Cherry**! ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-cellphone-obama-phone/547382/5 "2010-07-20T19:16:06Z")
It’s real. SafeLink is TracFone’s entry into the federal LifeLine/LinkUp communications subsidy program. Basically, you get a shitty TracFone phone and 68 free minutes a month. If you prefer, the feds will just subsidize your current bill (for a cell or a landline). You can find out if you qualify [here](http://www.lifelinesupport.org/li/low-income/lifelinesupport/browser/). ETA: Also beaten to the punch. ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-cellphone-obama-phone/547382/6 "2010-07-20T19:56:27Z")
I hope I’m not the only one who saw the subject line and started singing “Ring ring ring ring ring ring ring ring OBAMAPHONE!” ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-cellphone-obama-phone/547382/7 "2010-07-20T19:56:33Z")
Well, the title of the email I received referred to it as an “Obama phone” and it made me see red and I forgot about FactCheck. I’m in a position where I have to sometimes listen to some raving bigots who claim that everything that has gone wrong since the dawn of time has been caused by Obama. Many thanks for the information. ---
**Author:** ![Al\_Bundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@Al\_Bundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al_Bundy)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-cellphone-obama-phone/547382/8 "2010-07-20T22:47:42Z")
Your email is a bit deceiving as are the TV ads that play all day here. You generally need to be receiving some form of government assistance to qualify and that means having assets less than $3,000. The phone offers like 300 minutes a month, which would be fine for emergency purposes for poor people. That breaks down to 10" per day and these poor folks can stop exceeding the limits any more than then can stop smoking or buying fast food on a meager income. So then they end up with a cell phone bill. That’s the plan and I bet it works. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-cellphone-obama-phone/547382/9 "2010-07-20T23:59:44Z")
I qualify in my state because my child has medicaid (Tenncare) according to the link, but I’m a bit nervous about applying for this online. I’d only get 68 minutes, which is around the same as my 15 dollar go phone I think. I’m not sure. I know it’s not much but I don’t usually use it by the end of the month. What do you think? Should I be the test subject here? ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-cellphone-obama-phone/547382/10 "2010-07-21T00:42:27Z")
It’s a bare bones phone (no camera, no touch screen etc) and about 60 minutes a month. I had troubles applying through the web site (I’ve heard that most people do). I finally received the phone a few weeks ago. I think I’ve made one call so far. I simply don’t need a cell phone that badly. I got it in case of emergency and for those dozen or so times a year I actually need a cell phone. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-cellphone-obama-phone/547382/11 "2010-07-21T00:59:35Z")
> [@Rushgeekgirl](#): > > I qualify in my state because my child has medicaid (Tenncare) according to the link, but I’m a bit nervous about applying for this online. I’d only get 68 minutes, which is around the same as my 15 dollar go phone I think. I’m not sure. I know it’s not much but I don’t usually use it by the end of the month. > > What do you think? Should I be the test subject here? Can’t hurt. You can always use it in addition to your normal phone, and the minutes do roll over, apparently.