Free government phone providers in your ZIP code

What the list contains

The Lifeline Companies Near Me data set is published by USAC as open data, a public domain US government work. Each row names a company, says whether it offers mobile or home service, and gives a ZIP code, a customer service number and a website. This site groups the rows by state and company, counts the ZIP codes per company, and keeps a state file the finder downloads when you pick a state. The ZIP code you type never leaves your browser.

Some companies appear under a group of brand names on a single line, exactly as USAC lists them. Some home service companies, often rural telephone companies, are listed in the state without any ZIP code; they appear in the state list but not when you filter by ZIP code. Websites are shown as text, not links, because this site sends no visitor to any company.

Mobile or home service

Mobile companies are the ones most people mean by a free government phone: a plan on a cell phone, often with a phone offered by the company. Home service companies offer a landline or home internet at an address. Lifeline applies to one or the other, never both for the same household. The minimum standards decide how much support the plan earns: a mobile plan needs at least 4.5 GB of data a month to earn the full $9.25; a voice-only plan of at least 1,000 minutes earns $5.25 until November 30, 2027. Check a plan with the tool below before choosing.

Coverage by state, at a glance

The counts differ more than the choice really does. Half the states and territories have between ten and fifteen mobile companies, and in the large states several of them cover nearly every ZIP code. The large totals in some states come from local home phone companies that each serve a small area. The state-by-state page gives the figures for all 56 states and territories.

Before you call a company

Have your answer from the eligibility checker and, if your benefit is not checked automatically in your state, a copy of your benefit letter or income proof. Ask each company four questions: how much data the Lifeline plan includes, whether any monthly amount is due above the discount, whether a phone is included and on what terms, and how to reach it if service stops. Under 47 CFR 54.405 the company must tell you it is a Lifeline service, that Lifeline is a government assistance program, that the service cannot be transferred to someone else and that only one discount is allowed per household. If you later want another company, the new one handles the switch, as the transfer page explains.