Even the telco industry thinks Ajit Pai is an asshole for maiming Lifeline

[n2doc]

Ronald Reagan created the Lifeline program, which gives low-income Americans a $9.25/month subsidy to spend on one of: landline, broadband, or wireless access.

The vast majority of Lifeline recipients get their service through MVNOs (mobile virtual network operators), who resell major carriers networks through a wide variety of tailored packages targeted at people too poor for the big companies to bother with.

Now, Trump’s FCC chairman, Ajit Pai, wants to force Lifeline users to buy access from the big telcos, a move even those very same telcos think is bananas. And as a group of US 10 US senators have pointed out, Pai offered no evidence to support his contention that MNVOs strangle broadband investment (the FCC is only allowed to act on the basis of documented evidence), and Pai’s proposal would eliminate the plans used by more than 70% of Lifeline recipients.

Access to networked communications is a prerequisite for employment, education, family, political and civic engagement and more. When Pai sharpens the digital divide by maiming Lifeline, he is depriving the poorest people in America of a literal lifeline.



more

https://boingboing.net/2018/04/03/slashing-the-lifeline.html

[Anon-C]

1. ...

Link to tweet

[Wounded Bear]

2. It's getting to the point where some kind of digital access is a requirement, not a luxury...

Nobody (well, hardly anybody) takes walk-in applications for work any more.

Just more bullshit "attack the poor" from rich assholes like Trump.

[barbtries]

3. no kidding

it seems they hate poor people almost as much as they hate black people, mexicans, and women.

cannot overstate how bad it is they have this power. the damage they are doing on a daily basis makes me want to scream, throw myself on the floor and weep.

[kedrys]

7. Broadband access is considered to be a basic right in Canada

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/12/22/historic-decision-canada-declares-internet-access-fundamental-right-all?amp

[lark]

4. They are out to destroy the poor and working class.

This is just another facet of the plan to turn us into the Russian economic model of serfs and oligarchs.

[LudwigPastorius]

5. Hey, Ajit...

when you sold your soul to the Telecoms, did they promise you could stop by and visit it every once and a while?

[Volaris]

6. There's GOT to be a reason buried somewhere to put this fucker in prison..

Can someone please find it, and make that happen for the good of the nation?

[NBachers]

8. I'm sorry - I just can't state in print what I think we should do to every one of these nazis.

[PatrickforO]

9. Arjit Pai is a shill - a corrupt appointee because he's an attorney for

Verizon. Repealing those Obama rules with his 3-person 'vote' needs to be reversed with legislation.

The criminal Pai needs to be brought up on charges of corruption.

[sandensea]

10. A Shit Pie