Free cellphones!

[Throckmorton]

Yeah, that is pretty ridiculous. A cell phone is not a right, nor is it necessary.

LOL @ the morons acting like phone service is a luxury. What is this, 1920? It's a public safety issue if nothing else. You can't dial 911 without a phone.

 

[ElFenix]

LOL @ the morons acting like phone service is a luxury. What is this, 1920? It's a public safety issue if nothing else. You can't dial 911 without a phone.

you don't need minutes to dial 911

 

[Throckmorton]

you don't need minutes to dial 911

But you do need a working telephone.

 

[foghorn67]

But you do need a working telephone.

You can buy a bad ESN phone on CL for next to nothing, and it will work on 911. If you want it working later, it can be converted to Boost, Metro PCS, etc.

 

[waffleironhead]

LOL @ the morons acting like phone service is a luxury. What is this, 1920? It's a public safety issue if nothing else. You can't dial 911 without a phone.

You dont need to own a phone to call 911.

 

[alkemyst]

They have been talking about that down here in S. Florida. Meanwhile most that want them already have iPhones and other Smartphones.

 

[spidey07]

They have been talking about that down here in S. Florida. Meanwhile most that want them already have iPhones and other Smartphones.

Never underestimate the power of "FREE".

 

[Carmen813]

I'm very glad that some of the people I work with have these phones. It helps make tracking them down much easier and it helps them to have a sense of peace of mind. Many of them have a combination of serious mental illness, medical illness, and physical disabilities. They are a great way for them to remain in contact with family members, which gives them added social supports as well. It's also a great deal cheaper for taxpayers if they use the phone to call me instead of going to the emergency room, which is what often happens otherwise.

No one I've seen has a smartphone or anything close. They are very basic phones with some limited text ability (if they decide to pay for it).

 

[jackschmittusa]

You may be able to call 911 with no minutes, but you can't call your doctor to make an appointment, ask about your meds, or ask about your kids symptoms (just go to the emergency room to find out). You can't receive a call from a potential employer or employment agency (you won't be considered for a job if you don't have a phone anyway). You can't call a taxi to take you to an interview. Any government agency providing assistance can't call you (nor can you call them, even to cancel assistance, lol).

Argue for or against the program, but the benefits of having phone service and the detriments of not having it far exceed 911 service.

And those that think that they "should just get a job", need to remember that phone service is almost a prerequisite for getting one.

 

[spidey07]

You may be able to call 911 with no minutes, but you can't call your doctor to make an appointment, ask about your meds, or ask about your kids symptoms (just go to the emergency room to find out). You can't receive a call from a potential employer or employment agency (you won't be considered for a job if you don't have a phone anyway). You can't call a taxi to take you to an interview. Any government agency providing assistance can't call you (nor can you call them, even to cancel assistance, lol).

Argue for or against the program, but the benefits of having phone service and the detriments of not having it far exceed 911 service.

And those that think that they "should just get a job", need to remember that phone service is almost a prerequisite for getting one.

So get a bare bones landline, we already give them plenty of money. Hell, they probably can get one reduced paid for with our money as well. A cell phone is a LUXURY, not a necessity. I could live just fine without a cell phone and only within the last two years did I get one for personal use.

Nobody can yet come up with a reason why somebody "needs" a free CELL phone.

 

[xj0hnx]

You may be able to call 911 with no minutes, but you can't call your doctor to make an appointment, ask about your meds, or ask about your kids symptoms (just go to the emergency room to find out). You can't receive a call from a potential employer or employment agency (you won't be considered for a job if you don't have a phone anyway). You can't call a taxi to take you to an interview. Any government agency providing assistance can't call you (nor can you call them, even to cancel assistance, lol).

Argue for or against the program, but the benefits of having phone service and the detriments of not having it far exceed 911 service.

And those that think that they "should just get a job", need to remember that phone service is almost a prerequisite for getting one.

However did people manage back in the stone age ...five years ago?

 

[Throckmorton]

So get a bare bones landline, we already give them plenty of money. Hell, they probably can get one reduced paid for with our money as well. A cell phone is a LUXURY, not a necessity. I could live just fine without a cell phone and only within the last two years did I get one for personal use.

Nobody can yet come up with a reason why somebody "needs" a free CELL phone.

A landline costs just as much as a voice only cell phone plan. What world do you live in where landline is a basic need and a cell phone is the luxury? Even in Africa people have cell phones now, NOT landlines, because landlines are too expensive.

Wait, don't you work for some broadband company?

 

[Throckmorton]

You dont need to own a phone to call 911.

Yes of course, you can dial 911 with two cups and a string.

 

[dullard]

So get a bare bones landline, we already give them plenty of money. Hell, they probably can get one reduced paid for with our money as well. A cell phone is a LUXURY, not a necessity. I could live just fine without a cell phone and only within the last two years did I get one for personal use.

Nobody can yet come up with a reason why somebody "needs" a free CELL phone.

Back in Feb, they voted to stop supporting land lines and move to the future (most likely to VOIP) with cell phones continuing to bridge the gap until that happens.

Why should we be giving discounts on outdated landline technology? Why not help get better technology as the act is supposed to do?

And again, this is just a $10 monthly discount on service. The only reason it is free is that some service companies in some areas voluntarilly lowered their prices just enough to make it free. If the cheapest service in the area is $30/month, then the discount brings them to $20/month, not "free".

 

[drebo]

LOL @ the morons acting like phone service is a luxury. What is this, 1920? It's a public safety issue if nothing else. You can't dial 911 without a phone.

No one said phone service isn't a necessity.

They said cell phone service is a luxury. And it is. That can't be argued.

I bet you're OK with people spending EBT food money on cruise ships, too, aren't you?

 

[Engineer]

Nobody can yet come up with a reason why somebody "needs" a free CELL phone.

They don't need one...to me, it's simply a want. People were fine without cellphones for years....not sure why they NEED one now. Haven't read why they are getting one or how they are being paid for but the FREE, FREE, FREE for ME, ME, ME is getting out of hand in this country. NOBODY wants to pay for anything....give me, give me, give me...but give the bill to someone else.

Yes, I'm pissed off about alot of what is going on....damn sick and tired of it.

 

[drebo]

Back in Feb, they voted to stop supporting land lines and move to the future (most likely to VOIP) with cell phones continuing to bridge the gap until that happens.

No, what they (and by "they", I mean the RBOCs) want to happen is for the requirement for them to make available POTS service to each house in their coverage area to go away. It's cheaper for them to provide that service via VOIP, even if they're using the same copper to provide the connection. UVerse, for instance, is VDSL with VoIP running on top of it.

Cell phones were never meant to be, and will never be, a replacement for fixed-line phones.

 

[MovingTarget]

So get a bare bones landline, we already give them plenty of money. Hell, they probably can get one reduced paid for with our money as well. A cell phone is a LUXURY, not a necessity. I could live just fine without a cell phone and only within the last two years did I get one for personal use.

Nobody can yet come up with a reason why somebody "needs" a free CELL phone.

These days it can be as cheap as or cheaper than a landline. Many people today consider the cell to be the necessity and the landline a luxury instead.

So what is your argument here? That phones of any type are a luxury and not a necessity? Or that a cellphone is a luxury vs. a landline?

Edit: Looks like someone beat me to this...

 

[umbrella39]

Doesn't make it right.

Doesn't make it news either. Welcome to the past, this has been going on for some time now.

 

[bart1975]

Which one of these free phone companies offers the most free minutes?

 

[ElFenix]

However did people manage back in the stone age ...five years ago?

my mom can't do much about kids with cell phones in her high school class. if teachers take them from kids the front office gets complaints about not being able to contact their kid in an emergency. that was obviously a giant problem back when the parents were in school. so many people that couldn't be reached with a phone call or visit to the front office.

 

[waffleironhead]

Yes of course, you can dial 911 with two cups and a string.

you missed the word "own". I dont own a phone, yet I would find it easy to call 911 if I needed to.

 

[MovingTarget]

my mom can't do much about kids with cell phones in her high school class. if teachers take them from kids the front office gets complaints about not being able to contact their kid in an emergency. that was obviously a giant problem back when the parents were in school. so many people that couldn't be reached with a phone call or visit to the front office.

We had the same problem when cellphones started proliferating amongst high schoolers, but honestly, that argument doesn't hold water for any school with a PA system. Let the parents complain. If a parent needs to get ahold of their kid in an emergency, they can call the main office, who would then buzz the classroom and ask for the student. It is much less disruptive to instructional time and prevents panic in the case of a real emergency. It sounds like your mother doesn't have a school administration that backs her up or does not have a consistent enforceable policy. Either way, I can sympathize.

<--a high school math teacher

 

[blinblue]

Back in Feb, they voted to stop supporting land lines and move to the future (most likely to VOIP) with cell phones continuing to bridge the gap until that happens.

Why should we be giving discounts on outdated landline technology? Why not help get better technology as the act is supposed to do?

And again, this is just a $10 monthly discount on service. The only reason it is free is that some service companies in some areas voluntarilly lowered their prices just enough to make it free. If the cheapest service in the area is $30/month, then the discount brings them to $20/month, not "free".

I assume there is some stipulation that in order to get the $10 benefit it has to cost at least $10. Because with something like Page Plus you can get ~100 minutes a month for $6.25. It would be a sweet deal to get paid $3.75/month at have cell phone service.

 

[ElFenix]

It sounds like your mother doesn't have a school administration that backs her up or does not have a consistent enforceable policy. Either way, I can sympathize.

<--a high school math teacher

FBISD basically bends over any time a parent has a complaint, from the way she talks.