2nd provider offers free cell phones for NC needy

RALEIGH, N.C. — A second company is offering free mobile telephone service for needy North Carolina residents.

The News & Observer of Raleigh reported Friday that Assurance Wireless launched its free service this week with an advertising campaign. The subsidiary of Virgin Mobile is offering 200 free minutes a week along with a free handset that normally sells for $10.

TracFone last year was first to offer free mobile service to North Carolina’s poor.

The service is subsidized by a 25-year-old federal program that reimburses phone companies $10 a month for each customer.

To qualify for free phone service, a customer must participate in a federal or state assistance program such as Medicaid, food stamps or public housing vouchers.

Information from: The News & Observer

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