Fact-Check Policy

Our editors start with primary sources for every claim:

• Federal statute and Code of Federal Regulations (47 CFR § 54).
• Current FCC and USAC public guidance on the Lifeline program.
• Each Lifeline provider's published terms of service and device catalog.
• Apple's own product technical specification pages for device claims.

Only after primary sources are exhausted do we consult secondary reporting (Reuters, AP, Ars Technica, etc.). We do not treat aggregator or AI-summary sites as sources.

Before a guide is published, a second editor confirms:

1. Every eligibility, price, and shipping claim links to a primary source no older than 90 days.
2. Every provider ranking uses the criteria in our Review Process.
3. All reader reviews cited on the page have a verified Lifeline enrollment record on file.
4. Product images match the model, color, and generation described in the copy.
5. All outbound links resolve and point to the intended destination (no broken or hijacked redirects).
6. Structured data (schema.org JSON-LD) is valid and reflects the visible page content.

Live guides are re-verified on a rolling schedule:

• Provider and device pages: every 90 days.
• Eligibility and state guides: every 180 days or immediately after any FCC rule change.
• Policy and legal pages: every 12 months.

The date at the top of every guide reflects the most recent re-verification. The Last verified footer on provider and device pages is updated within 48 hours of the actual check.

If a specific claim looks wrong, email editorial@lifelinefreeiphone.com with the URL and the sentence in question. We acknowledge every fact-check request within two business days and publish a correction where warranted per our Corrections Policy.