"That person on wellfare/whatever can't REALLY be poor -- they have a cell phone!"

[xiphias]

You ever hear people say that?

Cheapest landline I can find around here: $45/month, with long-term contract. Most are closer to $60.
Cell phone data plan with unlimited text and talk, worldwide, and 500 mb of web: $50/month, no contract.

We SHOULD be saying, "That person can't REALLY be poor -- they can afford to not have a cell phone!"

The whole "cell phones are for rich people" stopped being true in the 20th century.

Comments

[metahacker.livejournal.com]

Or spend $12/mo at Ting for minimal minutes and data, depending on your needs...

[filkerdave.livejournal.com]

In many parts of the world (like, for example, Guatemala) it's very common for cell phones to be ubiquitous and cheap. Even people with dirt floors, no indoor plumbing or electricity have them.

And, as you say, cell phones are cheap.

[cbpotts.livejournal.com]

Amen!

[rysmiel.livejournal.com]

Cellphones are like herd immunity; if everyone around you has one, you do not actually need one.

(Days per year it would significantly benefit me to have a cellphone, for logistics: ~3-5, on average over the past decade. Days per year it significantly benefits me not to have a cellphone, on control over communication with birth family levels: 365.25, averaged similarly.)

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

True in specific, and also, it is generally depressing how people will say of anyone who has anything that they must be lying or wasting their money because they managed to have one material good (or provided it for their child, such as a decently protective stroller).

[richardf8]

HaAretz had an article yesterday about how being able to be without your smartphone is the latest status symbol. I was hoping to give you a link, but now all I can fin are protestations that they have found the best Hummus in Haifa.

[holyhippie]

Low cost, pre-paid handsets are available in many convenience stores. A few minutes of research, and I found plans for as little as $25/month in the US for 250min calls, unlimited texts. If you really don't use the phone very much, there are even cheaper ways to do it with prepaid pay-per-use plans.

I currently have no landline at home - and am perfectly happy living that way. AT&T has tried to entice me into getting 'fixed wireless' service - basically a cell phone that doesn't move. They sell you a device that sits in your house, plugs into the wall, and makes calls through the wireless network. And charge you less than they would for a landline.

[dianavilliers.livejournal.com]

What's more, if you have a cellphone and a cheap laptop, you have enough internet access to do a job search, submit applications and access government and private social support should you need to, without necessarily having a monthly bill or even a permanent address.

[yardlong.livejournal.com]

We've had prepaid cell phones/smartphone with PagePlus Cellular for years, paying full price for new equipment on eBay and then $11-$15 monthly for airtime. But I recently got a "home phone" - which required an OBi100 adapter from Amazon and regular home phone equipment, which I didn't have. So I ordered the OBi and a cordless phone system, and it works through my internet router and my free Google Voice number. Free service. We will save a bit of money, but since we weren't spending much to begin with, it'll take awhile to pay for itself.

I always did think it silly when people complained about poor folks having cell phones.

[azephirin.livejournal.com]

Also, any household below 135% of the poverty line or on various government benefit programs (Medicaid, SSI, food stamps, TANF, etc.) qualifies for Lifeline, which provides free cell phones, though the plans are limited. The providers vary, but here in MA it's SafeLink and Assurance Wireless. A lot of my clients have this, and I can tell you: they're poor.

[domiobrien.livejournal.com]

Phones have been provided free for the very poor since the Reagan administration. Currently, people below a certain income level for their family size are entitled to a free cellphone with limited minutes, and can buy more for a very small monthly fee. This allows them to call for medical appointments, job training etc on their monthly allotment of minutes, with more available at reasonable cost.