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posted by takyon on Tuesday September 04 2018, @07:25PM   Printer-friendly
from the flatline dept.

Submitted via IRC for SoyCow1984

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.


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  • (Score: 1, Offtopic) by jmorris on Wednesday September 05 2018, @01:43AM (3 children)

    by jmorris (4844) on Wednesday September 05 2018, @01:43AM (#730582)

    This program is almost entirely fraud and abuse. Besides the very premise is defective. I pay less than $10/mo for super basic cell service so I know it can be done on the open market, even sold to an individual customer. Why can't people pay for their own damned cell phone? It isn't some basic "Right", the things have only been widespread for twenty years. No. This is just more creeping Socialism, trying to declare everything is a "right" and somebody else must provide every need for people. Free food, housing, health care, phone, Internet service, cable TV, etc. Where does it effing stop? Is XBox a "Right"? Basic or Gold? Free clothing, gotta be name brand of is Faded Glory good enough?

    Enough. Premise rejected. You are only entitled to the only things everyone is assured of, Death and Taxes. Everything else you should have to earn. Any charity should be just that, not a Right, not an entitlement, charity given by the community willingly and thus only given to help people and not make lifelong dependents of them. Show me the part of the Constitution where any of this Welfare State crap is authorized to the Feral Government? Since it isn't there they should not be doing it. I'd also recommend that States also not do it, instead leaving charity where it belongs, local religious and civic organizations. As it used to be.

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 05 2018, @03:42AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 05 2018, @03:42AM (#730612)

    But, but... EBIL TWUMP!

  • (Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 05 2018, @06:40AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 05 2018, @06:40AM (#730635)

    This is just more creeping Socialism

    You can blame Reagan for it, he got this ball rolling [wikipedia.org], the effing commie.

  • (Score: 2) by shortscreen on Wednesday September 05 2018, @10:11AM

    by shortscreen (2252) on Wednesday September 05 2018, @10:11AM (#730672) Journal

    Indeed, Tracfone and Tello are available for under $10/month. And if I'm not mistaken, any old cell phone fished out of a dumpster can be used to call 911 for free. I don't see how the overhead cost to administer this program could be worth it, regardless of one's views on social programs.