Free Cell Phone Service for Nearly 450,000 of Philadelphia Area's Poorest Residents Blocked by Handful of City and County Offici

Red Tape, Foot-dragging Stops Benefits of Federal Program for Universal Telecommunications Access From Reaching Those Needing It Most in Philly Area; Only Chester and Montgomery Counties Are On Board So Far. 


PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 29  /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Even as low-income residents of such major metropolitan areas as Boston, Atlanta, and Miami are enjoying the benefits of a federal program designed to ensure that telephone service is available and affordable for eligible low income households, half a dozen city and county bureaucrats are blocking the distribution of free cell phones and related minutes to an estimated 443,569 of the poorest residents of the greater Philadelphia area, including 221,870 in the city of Philadelphia itself.

Miami-based TracFone Wireless, Inc., America's leading prepaid cell phone provider, went public today with its concerns about the months of unreasonable and unjustified legal and procedural roadblocks that have been erected in response to the launch of SafeLink Wireless(R) in Philadelphia.  SafeLink Wireless is the TracFone service delivered under the federal Lifeline program designed to ensure universal access to telecommunications services for qualifying low-income consumers. Hundreds of thousands of consumers in other states have already benefited from SafeLink since its inception in the fall of 2008.

City and county officials in Philadelphia, Berks County, Bucks County, Lehigh County, and North Hampton County have so far refused to certify the TracFone Wireless program. To date, Chester County and Montgomery County are alone in certifying the program in the greater Philadelphia area.  Delaware County is currently in the process of testing phones for certification purposes.  TracFone's SafeLink Wireless already is certified and in place in Florida, Tennessee, Virginia, Massachusetts and the greater Atlanta area.

Statewide, TracFone's SafeLink would benefit a million or more low-income residents.

Jose Fuentes, director of government relations, TracFone Wireless said:  "This is an unfortunate situation where those who need our program the most in the greater Philadelphia area are losing out for no good reason.  The notion that that there are special E911 technical issues or legal liabilities in the Philadelphia area is, quite simply, preposterous.  Other states, cities and counties across the U.S. have weighed these same issues and proceeded to certify our program in order to connect their poorest citizens to the telecommunications system.  The only thing that local officials have to certify is that our cell phones have the ability to dial and connect to 911 call centers regardless of activation status or prepaid minutes.  That can be tested and proven in a matter of minutes."

TracFone officials point out they already have thousands of Philadelphia area customers who have had no problem whatsoever accessing E911 services.

Fuentes said that the following officials in the greater Philadelphia region should be contacted to determine why they are blocking cell phone access for nearly 450,000 low-income area residents:

Fuentes said that the following officials in the greater Philadelphia region should be contacted to determine why they are blocking cell phone access for nearly 450,000 low-income area residents: Philadelphia - Frank Punzo,  and 215-686-4500; Berks County - Daphne Miller,  and 610-655-4901; Bucks County - Peter Ference,  and 1-888-245-7210; Lehigh County, Laurie Bailey -  and 610-782-3087; and North Hampton County, Richard Teasdale -  and 610-746-3194.

TracFone's SafeLink Wireless service provides eligible low-income households a free cell phone, mobile access to emergency services and free 42 minutes of air time, monthly, for one year. The cell phone offers such features as voicemail, text, call waiting, international calling to over 60 destinations and caller ID.

"We are offering the Philadelphia area's low-income residents the opportunity to have the same access and privileges many individuals take for granted when it comes to using cell phones," Fuentes said. "The SafeLink Wireless service is truly unique because we are providing a service that no other company has made available before -- a free cell phone and free monthly minutes to qualifying low income families. SafeLink Wireless offers low income families accessibility, freedom and the security in knowing that should an emergency occur -- wherever they are, they will stay safe and stay connected."

The SafeLink cell phones would mean more economic opportunity and enhanced public safety for Philadelphia area low-income families.

A recent study ("Cell Phones Provide Significant Economic Gains for Low-Income American Households," April 2008) analyzed the impact of mobile phones on low-income households. "In this day and age, the cell phone should be deemed an imperative necessity for the millions of low-income families who are far less likely to own them," said Nicholas P. Sullivan, the study's author and a former visiting scholar at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "Our study showed cell phones can significantly boost the earning potential of these communities, and this connectivity vastly encourages their opportunities and remains central to their everyday survival," Sullivan stressed.

The same study also revealed the cell phone is a critical component for personal safety and access to emergency services.

Typically, families living below the poverty line struggle to pay their monthly bills, experience credit issues, and cannot afford traditional home phone and wireless services. Using public pay phones regularly poses problems and cell phone contracts often are difficult to maintain due to costly usage charges over long-term agreements. As a result, regular communication is a major dilemma for these families.

Federal Lifeline program eligibility varies by state but generally families may qualify for SafeLink Wireless service if their household income is not above 135 percent of the federal poverty income guidelines, or if they receive any of the following government assistance programs: Medicaid; Supplement Security Income (SSI); Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP); National School Lunch Program; Federal Public Housing Assistance (Section 8); Food Stamps; and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF).

To learn more about the TracFone SafeLink Wireless service, including eligibility requirements, please call 1-800-977-3768, or visit http://www.safelinkwireless.com/.

ABOUT TRACFONE WIRELESS, INC.

TracFone Wireless, Inc. is America's number one prepaid wireless service in the U.S. with more than 10 million cell phone subscribers. TracFone is a subsidiary of America Movil, S.A.B. de C.V. ("AMX") (BMV: AMX; NYSE: AMX; Nasdaq: AMOV; LATIBEX: XAMXL), the leading provider of wireless services in Latin America with more than 153 million cell phone subscribers. For more information, please visit: http://www.tracfone.com/. 

DATASOURCE: TracFone Wireless, Miami



CONTACT:  Ailis Aaron Wolf for TracFone Wireless, Miami, [phone],





Web Site:  http://www.safelinkwireless.com/

http://www.tracfone.com/ 

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