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The Obama-Phone Is Back - But This Time It's Real
While some saw the clip of the lady implying 'victory for Obama means phones for everyone' as perhaps exaggerated out-of-context right-wing propaganda - as that would be preposterous right? - it appears San Francisco took it a little more serious. As SFGate reports, the California Public Utilities Commission is expected to approve (within a couple of weeks) a plan to offer homeless and other poor people in California 'virtually free cell phones and service'. The plan is funded through the federal LifeLine program and is designed to enable these individuals to 'keep in touch with family, potential employers and others crucial to improving their lives'. "This is great - it is transformative for homeless and low-income people," said San Francisco's head of homeless initiatives, adding that, fundamentally, to be in the mainstream of our society you have to have a phone." Setting up the program in California has been no easy task, officials said. "I would prefer it to be free..." said Dufty, and said he would explore other funding sources. Perhaps worth remembering the cost of kidding ourselves once again.
Via SFGate:
Homeless and other poor people in California are on track to soon get virtually free cell phones and service so they can keep in touch with family, potential employers and others crucial to improving their lives.
The cell phones would be handed out through a federally funded Lifeline program - already operated by service provider Assurance Wireless in 36 other states - that is likely to win final approval in the next couple of weeks from the California Public Utilities Commission.
State PUC officials have been reviewing the Lifeline proposal from Assurance Wireless for three years. Word came Thursday that all but a minor detail had been approved, ending years of effort by advocates for homeless people.
"This is great - it is transformative for homeless and low-income people," said Bevan Dufty, San Francisco's head of homeless initiatives,
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"Fundamentally, to be in the mainstream of our society you have to have a phone," he said. "And really, for the homeless population, you need a cell phone because they don't have a home to hard-wire one into. We really need this plan."
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The state's decades-old Lifeline program, like those all over the country, pays for all but a few dollars of the monthly phone bill for poor people, generally meaning those whose annual income is below $14,702. But until now, California's PUC rules only authorized Lifeline service for "wireline" phones, meaning traditional phones wired into residences - and those rules didn't authorize anything for free.
Getting set up not easy
Setting up the program in California has been no easy task, officials said.
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Approval of the cell phone program came Thursday from the telecommunications specialists at the CPUC, which oversees the state's Lifeline plans.
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"We're very excited," said Jayne Wallace, an Assurance Wireless spokeswoman. "We know from experience this can make a big difference in people's lives."
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Cost of program
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Assurance Wireless first offered its free cell phone proposal to the CPUC in 2009 and got tentative clearance in 2011. It has been a slow process since.
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Immediately, however, the customer will be rolled into Assurance Wireless' Lifeline plan, which will provide 250 free minutes of talk time and 250 free text messages per month. The customer will then get the initial $20 back as a credit to be used whenever he or she exceeds the talk and text limits.
"I would prefer it to be free, but this at least opens the door," said Dufty. He said he would explore if other funding sources could backfill the up-front $20 charge.
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So let me get this straight...
Free phone..courtesy of the taxpayer....
No taxes on their phone bill...courtesy of the taxpayer...
Then a class action suit will be filed against the govt on behalf of the "phonies" that the free phones were causing brain tumors from the radiation of the hand held phone....
Wonder if the phone comes pre-programmed with every Govt assistance agency's phone number...
Want to get the budget balanced??? Take care of the folks in DC? Here is the solution...
Sell tickets to the voters of this country say 10 bucks a ticket...(no limit on the amount you can buy)...With that ticket, it gives you the ability to beat the fuckin crap out of an elected official in a boxing ring....Put me down for 700 tickets!
I hope Obama phones are smartphones with unlimited data. If homeless people can use them to surf porn, maybe it will keep them from surfing porn at public libraries and jamming the lines for public computers.
There is nothing like waiting in line behind a piss-and-vomit-soaked alcoholic homeless person for your turn on a public computer.
They should add up all the tax breaks the wireless companies have gotten over the last 10 years..... and then have the FCC tell them; you will provide these phones and service for free.
keep obama in president. keep brown in governor!! yeah baby it's all free
"Yes, you are qualified for the homeless phone program. All we need is an address to send the statements"
Could it be that while the cost of providing this service is high, The value of having access to all these peoples electronic "thoughts" is priceless.
Everything is saved.
Cell phones are tracking devices. Mightn't that be the reason all who cannot afford them are getting them?
Most of these phones will be broken, lost, stolen, or sold within first 6 mths. If these people have family they will be contacting by phone why doesn't said family take the person in and help them?Another "instead of fixing the problem let's do something so we feel better about ourselves idea".
The cell-phone usage is part and parcel of the New World Order. In the future, your phone will be your direct link to the beast. Even now, you can 'swipe' or 'tap' your phone and pay bills, purchase goods, etc.
Every person on the planet will have one. I recently observed a young lady staring down, texting, while riding horseback. We may end up using horses and mules (as they do now in Syria, still, apparently) for transportation but WE WILL ALL HAVE OUR TRACKING DEVICES!
Long MSFT.
Jesus Christ....(head shake)
ipads coming next year. because he said and he can print retina
Given the massive stocks of outdated phones, this is probably better than land-filling them all.
Also, everyone is aware that text messages cost nothing to providers, due to them being carried in the network link data, right? And how much have you been paying for those all these years? The cost of this program is already covered by excess inventory & network spare capacity. It's also a nice little 'nudge' to drive two things: demand (who wants a phone that hobo's use?) and a cashless society.
But, yes, for all you cynics: this is probably the fate of many of those brave phones.
So where do the homeless recharge their phone? If robbed, do they get another phone by saying they are someone else? Capped by minutes per month or per day? Will they run for office via twitter updates and instagrams?
Also great for the the business of weed sales, and other nefarious activity no doubt. Are there any provisions to lose priviliges for bad behavior? No, just like TARP!
Also great for the the business of weed sales, and other nefarious activity no doubt. Are there any provisions to lose priviliges for bad behavior? No, just like TARP!
Also great for the the business of weed sales, and other nefarious activity no doubt. Are there any provisions to lose priviliges for bad behavior? No, just like TARP!