We the People: A Phone Service That Can Help Close the Digital Divide

摘要

Recently, I lost my smartphone. It was a prepaid phone from Simple Mobile, and I was enjoying using its $25 monthly plan. In addition to personal use, I had that phone to access company email, so thankfully, I was able to remotely wipe the phone. I was going to replace it with another prepaid phone, but couldn't find the one that I needed when I visited a nearby store. Walking out of there, I wondered if now might be the time to switch services and invest in a better phone.I was familiar with T-Mobile and its contracts, but wasn't sure if going that route again would be the right choice for me. I looked at a few other options, but the phones were much more expensive than the one I had recently used. Hoping to not go over $75 for a replacement, I came across a special deal from Google Fi. This deal is a relatively inexpensive alternative to many of the plans that are out there. With the Federal Communications Commission and major phone companies such as AT&T on record as working to remedy the digital divide, Google's service is one more pathway to getting phones into the hands of those who might not be able to afford the products from a company like Apple or Samsung or don't want to invest in high-end contractual plans.