Democracy Wireless offers an alternative

Just when you thought MVNOs might go the way of the Dodo, another one springs up. This time, it’s Democracy Wireless, a subsidiary of Working Assets, whose mission statement is to “help busy people make a difference in the world through everyday activities like talking on the phone.” Democracy is on the Sprint network, so it offers nationwide coverage. The kicker, though, is that a number of services are available on Democracy that simply aren’t on other systems. Whether these services are worth it, though, is the question. First off, they only offer two-year contract plans on the website. That kind of irks us, since it doesn’t sound very democratic to us. If they were really in favor of empowering the people, they’d offer their services on a prepay basis. However, you can give them a call at 800-605-7205 to work out a prepaid deal — or at least that’s what they say. Honestly, though, the plans are relatively cheap, and all come with unlimited nights and weekends, plus free calls to and from all Democracy Wireless subscribers. So there, that’s five people you can talk to for free. As for the services, well, you get 30 free minutes per month. However, those minutes are only good for calls to the White House, Congress, and other decision makers. If you have an issue with anything that’s going on in your district — or nationally — you have no excuse not to raise a stink about it. We can definitely see the ups and downs of this service, but it’s a good idea nonetheless. Democracy also text messages you (for free, we’re figuring) breaking news alerts, so you can keep in the know even if you don’t have a smartphone. There’s little ill you can say about this service, unless you’re a scrooge and hate text messaging. We saved the best for last, though. Democracy wants you as a subscriber so badly that they’ll buy you out of your current contract. Hate AT&T? Sign on with Democracy and you can wipe your hands of the situation. We’re figuring that if you want to use their service on a pay-as-you-go basis, however, they won’t buy out your current contract. So it’s a contract-for-contract deal, which isn’t all that great, but can be wonderful if you hate your current provider. [Democracy Wireless] via [RCRWireless News]]]>