Wyoming was the first state to give women the vote. Unfortunately, it’s also one of the last states to approve Lifeline, the free government cell phone program.
If you’ve ever driven through the vast open expanses of Wyoming, you know that the state has a lot more antelopes than people. In fact, it has fewer people than any other state, fewer people than the District of Columbia, and even fewer than the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. A mere 576,000 folks call the Cowboy State home.
But no matter how few people live in Wyoming, the simple fact of the matter is that it has its fair share of financially-struggling citizens.
According to the Wyoming Department of Employment, “The Research & Planning section of the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services reported today that the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.6% in August. It has remained at that level since May of this year. Wyoming’s unemployment rate decreased from its year-ago level of 5.4% and was significantly lower than the current U.S. unemployment rate of 7.3%. Seasonally adjusted employment of Wyoming residents fell slightly, decreasing by 444 individuals (-0.2%) from July to August.”
In other words, the economy is better in Wyoming than it is in the rest of the nation — based on the fact that its unemployment rate is lower than the national rate — but those that doesn’t make life any easier for the 5.4% in the state who are unemployed.
Luckily, the free government cell phone program is now available to all of Wyoming’s needy city dwellers in Casper, Laramie, Cheyenne; available for residents of the state’s Native American lands; and available for those rugged individuals who live on farms and ranches in the state’s rural areas.
Free Cell Phone Providers in Wyoming:
Unfortunately, there are only two free government cell phone providers in Wyoming. But both Budget Wireless and Tempo Communications are large multi-state companies and you should be more than satisfied with either of them.
Budget Mobile
Tempo Communications
Free Cell Phone Eligibility in Wyoming:
You may be eligible if you receive benefits from any of the following programs:
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Food Stamps or SNAP)
Medicaid
Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
Federal Public Housing Assistance (Section 8)
Veterans Pension and Survivor’s Benefit.
Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance (BIA)
Tribally Administered Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (Tribal TANF)
Tribal Head Start (only those households meeting its income qualifying standard)
Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR)
Lifeline Discount Companies in Wyoming
If you qualify for Lifeline Assistance, but you find that none of the companies offer free government cell phones where you live, you have another option. The companies below, while not offering free cell phone plans, do offer substantial Lifeline discounts off their regular mobile phone plans in Wyoming:
Nemont Wireless
In Wyoming, you may also qualify if your Total Household Income is at or under 135% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines.