RW radio talking point of the week "Obama's Free Cell Phones for Welfare recipients" DEBUNKED

[underpants]

I've heard this at least twice in the last week (local idiot and Hannity idiot) so I had to check it out.

This is nothing new (OBAMA!) and it isn't free.

Was this program instituted by the Obama administration?
No. Nor was it just instituted "earlier this year," as the email claims. The program as it exists today was created over a decade ago by an act of Congress, the Telecommunications Act of 1996. A version of the Lifeline program was already in operation as far back as the early 1980s. (Source: Lifelinesupport.org)

Is it accurate to say that taxpayer money is being 'redistributed' to provide these services?
Basically yes, though not in the sense one might assume. Apart from being administered by the FCC, it's not a federally-funded program. Since its inception, the program has been financed via the pooled contributions of commercial phone service providers, which in turn impose small monthly fees on their regular customers to recoup the cost. (Source: FCC)

http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/barackobama/a/obama_phone_free_cell_phones.htm

from the FCC Link above
The federal USF pays for four programs. They are:

•Lifeline/Link-Up.
•High-Cost. This program ensures that consumers in all regions of the nation have access to ]ecommunications services at rates that are affordable and reasonably comparable to those in urban areas.
•Schools and Libraries.
•Rural Health Care. This program helps link health care providers located in rural areas to urban medical centers so that patients living in rural America will have access to the same advanced diagnostic and other medical services that are enjoyed in urban communities.

Some consumers may notice a “Universal Service” line item on their telephone bills. This line item appears when a company chooses to recover its USF contributions directly from its customers by billing them this charge. The FCC does not require this charge to be passed on to customers. Each company makes a business decision about whether and how to assess charges to recover its Universal Service costs.

Link-Up America This program pays one-half or up to $30 of the initial installation fee for a traditional wireline telephone, or activation fee for a wireless telephone, for the primary residence.

•Lifeline Assistance These discounts can be up to $10.00 per month, depending on your state.

[markpkessinger]

1. My response to that talking point...

... has been to point out that if conservatives want unemployed and poor people to be able to look for jobs, then realistically, a phone is a minimum requirement for that (and these days, a cell phone is cheaper than a land line).