An outgrowth of an old program

Reader comment on: Subsidized Cellphone Program

Submitted by Lyle (United States), Sep 28, 2012 23:41

A number of years ago (1996) the universal service program and the $6.50/month fee on land lines was put in. One of the things it provided was a discount on installation and the first years land line service for folks below 135% of poverty. More recenlty it was discovered that cell phone service was in some places cheaper for the government than land line service so cell phones were substituted. Florida made the switch in 2008 for example: Here is a link to more details at Forbes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2012/02/12/are-taxpayers-paying-for-free-cell-phones/

So it is phone rate payers and not taxpayers directly that pay for this as part of the universal service fund. (Disclaimer I live in an area with a telephone coop and until recently it got funds for being a high cost area to serve from the same basket)

Note: Comments are moderated by the editor and are subject to editing.

Other reader comments on this item

Title By Date
⇒ An outgrowth of an old program [137 words]LyleSep 28, 2012 23:41
No wonder it's gone viral [42 words]Dan CalabriaSep 28, 2012 20:15
Cell Phone Program [29 words]Interested observerSep 28, 2012 18:45

Comment on this item

Mark my comment as a response to An outgrowth of an old program by Lyle

Email me if someone replies to my comment

Note: Comments are moderated by the editor and are subject to editing.