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Millions could lose cheap phone service under FCC's overhaul of Lifeline
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai, appointed to the post by President Donald Trump, wants to remove a majority of wireless providers that participate in the Lifeline program in an attempt to eliminate "waste, fraud, and abuse." If such a move were made, the "chaos would be magnificent," said David Dorwart, the chairman of the National Lifeline Association (NaLA), a trade organization that represents Lifeline businesses.
Roughly 10.7 million Americans receive text, voice, and data under the program, and 70 percent would have to look for a new service provider under the proposal, according to NaLA, if an affordable option is even available. The program cost about $1.3 billion dollars in 2017, and the funding comes from the Universal Service Fund, which is collected from phone subscribers by service providers.
[...] The proposal, introduced by the commission in November of 2017, would limit the Lifeline program to providers that own their networks. This would effectively eliminate "resellers," or providers who instead lease space on a network. Such providers service more than 70 percent of Lifeline participants. The program has been criticized in the past for fraud. It has been the subject of several reports from the Government Accountability Office, which highlighted "significant risks" for abuse.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by NewNic on Tuesday September 04 2018, @07:42PM (5 children)
Republicans: competition is good.
Also Republicans: "This competition might threaten to cause a big company to lose some money? Better squash it now."
lib·er·tar·i·an·ism ˌlibərˈterēənizəm/ noun: Magical thinking that useful idiots mistake for serious political theory
(Score: 3, Informative) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday September 04 2018, @08:58PM (2 children)
Magnificent Chaos: the hidden agenda of MAGA.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Wednesday September 05 2018, @05:50PM (1 child)
They would rather burn it all down than share it equitably.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Wednesday September 05 2018, @07:56PM
Chaos creates opportunity, just shaking up the entrenched players means that new players can come to the table. It can be a good thing. Usually, it is not.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 5, Funny) by julian on Wednesday September 05 2018, @01:16AM
The moderate, pro-business, forward-thinking, non-bigoted, coalition is called the Democratic Party--flawed as it is. The Republican Party is little more than a pirate ship; the worst aspects of humanity banded together to take, leech, steal, and bully whatever they can from the productive members of the world.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 05 2018, @02:39AM
Competition is good... as long as only certain people have permission to do so.
Rogue entry is deemed illegal and will be fraught with legal quagmires that the existing players can pull you into.