 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Telecommunications |
| Founded | 2010 |
| Headquarters | , |
| Services | Wireless service provider |
Number of employees | 500+ (2022) |
| Parent | Telrite Holdings, Inc. |
| Website | puretalk |
PureTalk Holdings, Inc. is an American mobile virtual network operator headquartered in Covington, Georgia, United States with two other offices located in Fort Lee, New Jersey and Atlanta, Georgia. It resells wireless service over the AT&T Mobility network.
Marketing
PureTalk is promoted primarily towards senior citizens, as well as U.S. military veterans (the latter citing the company having been founded by a veteran, eventhough it is owned by Telrite Holdings).[1]
PureTalk has marketed itself through paid endorsements by conservative radio hosts and internet personalities such as Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, Dennis Prager, Ben Shapiro, Clay Travis and Buck Sexton.[1][2] Levin has promoted Pure Talk as an alternative to AT&T due to it being a "woke" company, despite the fact that PureTalk uses the AT&T network.[1][3]
In its marketing, PureTalk claims to have forgiven $10,000,000 of veteran debt, partnering with ForgiveCo,[4] a company that buys debt at discounted rates to facilitate debt forgiveness. ForgiveCo's model, which purportedly allows for a 50-fold impact on investments, suggests that PureTalk's actual expenditure for this initiative might be significantly lower than advertised (less than $100,000[5]). This approach raises concerns about the transparency of PureTalk's claims, hinting at a potential overstatement of the company's philanthropic contribution to veteran debt relief.
Scandals
PureTalk is operated by Telrite Holdings[6], linked to the Japanese-owned KDDIA[7], a subsidiary of Locus Communications. Telrite owns MVNOs like H2O Wireless and LifeWireless[8], with LifeWireless targeting liberal audiences[9] and participating in the government's Affordable Connectivity Program[10]. Lifewise and PureTalk being owned by the same company brings Puretalk's claims to support conservative causes under scrutiny.
References
- ^ a b c Baragona, Justin (October 21, 2022). "Right-Wing Media Stars Promote Anti-'Woke' AT&T Rival That's Actually Just AT&T". The Daily Beast. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
- ^ Baragona, Justin (August 18, 2021). "Sean Hannity Keeps Using the Afghan Crisis to Sell Pillows and Cellphones". The Daily Beast. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
- ^ "Fox News host Mark Levin says AT&T doesn't want "people part of the white dominant culture" as customers". Media Matters for America. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
- ^ "PureTalk Debt Forgiveness".
- ^ "How ForgiveCo Works".
- ^ "Telrite Holdings Reviews".
- ^ "DA-19-58A1" (PDF).
- ^ "Telrite Corporation".
- ^ "LifeWireless Broadband Terms".
- ^ "ACP Providers".
External links
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This page was last edited on 27 March 2024, at 20:37