Cellphones are now essentials for the poor

Once considered a luxury, the cellphone has become one of the most popular communication technologies in the world. As a result, many people — regardless of income level — view the cellphone as more of a necessity.

Before landlines became essential, they, too, were once used by the privileged few. "Today every family must have a telephone if it is to contact emergency services," Linda Gibbs, New York City’s deputy mayor for health and human services, wrote in a 2007 poverty report. "If it is to have access to news, information and culture a TV, radio, and newspapers are essential. This was not always true, but it is true now. And soon (if not now) we will need to add cellphones and access to the Internet to that list." Six years later, 91 percent of American adults own a cellphone, according to a 2013 survey by the Pew Research Center; more than half of those are smartphones. Over a third of American homes have even become cell only, according to a 2012 National Health Interview Survey. Phone companies are scrambling to meet the diverse demand. While cheap pre-paid cellphone plans are increasingly available commercially, there are also low-income programs, operated with subsidies from the FCC’s Lifeline Assistance program, that people can qualify for to get a low monthly rate.