The Federal Communications Commission oversees the Lifeline program, which was created 25 years ago to ensure that affordable, landline telephone access was available to rural and poor communities.
At least 1.3 million low-income households in Ohio could qualify for a new Lifeline program, called SafeLink Wireless, that provides a free cell phone and 68 minutes of free talk-time for emergencies for one year, TracFone said. Ohio is one of 17 states participating in the program.
Talk-time that isn’t used would roll over to the next month, according to the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel, a state agency that represents residential customers of Ohio utilities.
If a customer wishes to use additional minutes beyond the monthly allotment, minutes can be added through prepaid SafeLink or TracFone airtime cards that can be bought at local retailers.
The Ohio Consumers’ Counsel urges residents to learn about the Lifeline program and its costs before committing to any service provider, agency spokesman Ryan Lippe said.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2242 or jnolan@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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