Posted on 08/09/2011 6:02:40 AM PDT by GailA
MEMPHIS, TN -
(WMC TV) - A rogue agent, representing a cellular phone company's participation in a federal government entitlement program, faked applications for the program, according to a company spokesperson.
As a result, Virgin Mobile/Assurance Wireless shipped an untold number of Tennesseans and Mississippians free, unsolicited cell phones.
"Our government's dealing with a debt crisis right now," said Bob Adams of Olive Branch, MS, a small business owner who received one of the phones. "It's the biggest news that you see, and we're struggling with a huge entitlement burden, and now we got our free government cell phones. So I was furious."
Adams was furious because he neither applied, nor does he qualify for the program supporting the free cell phones.
Virgin Mobile/Assurance Wireless is a vendor for the federal government's Lifeline Assistance program. Created during the Reagan administration in 1986, the program was designed to provide Americans on public assistance -- those receiving Medicaid, welfare checks (now TANF payments), food stamps and supplemental Social Security -- free or discounted phone service.
The program is funded by the Universal Service Fee that appears on most Americans' phone bills. The Universal Service Administrative Company (www.usac.org), a not-for-profit designated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to manage the fund, collects the fee and pays subsidies to telecommunications companies participating in Lifeline Assistance, according to Eric Iversen, USAC's director of external relations.
(Excerpt) Read more at wmctv.com ...
You can buy a similar phone from places like WalMart for about $10.00, and buy prepaid minutes if you need an emergency use phone.
You won't even miss the 25 or 50 cents, but at the end of the month you will have at least $5 to donate so FR can operate smoothly, or you will moan and grown and go into withdrawal when it is down, because of broken parts, or over loaded servers during crisis events.
The 2 men sited in the article are from TN and MS and are honest hard working people who blew the whistle on this scam.
There are virtually no checks to verify income, or citizenship....per government Masters...i.e. Congressional law.
If this is going on in TN and MS it is going on in all 50 states, unlike our Marxist in Chief, I know how many states the US has.
ping list please
The ironic thing is that 250 minutes will last about 10 days for a young urban female. Then she either has to buy more minutes or use her $70 a month plan.
If you ever want an education, sit next to a cell phone kiosk in an urban mall.
I once posted here about the free cell phones and the free cars (along with free repairs, insurance and AAA) being given out and was told by a freeper that it was all urban myth.
We are in denial when it comes to the free giveaways. Iff we knew the billions that were being siphoned off and directed to the underclass we would be shocked.
I suspect these aren’t going to be used by teenagers. More likely the Tony Soprano’s and drug thugs who only need them for a few calls before they toss them in the river.
Wrong about 3 days, they must super glue the things to their ears, as they are constantly on it or texting.
We pay $79 per month, 500 mins, roll over, no texting, for 2 phones, mine cost the additional $10 to add to an existing plan. And we have about 2000 roll over mins left per year we rarely dip into unless their is a family emergency. Most of the people we call are like us on AT& T.
Now if I could just talk hubby into getting rid of the land line and that dang harvest gold phone on the wall.....
Oh heck no. Urban folk go through cell phones like you wouldn’t believe. They pay about 3 months on a plan and then stop paying. When the phone gets cut off, they go get another.
Their daily use is measured in hours, not minutes. You learn a lot sitting next to the kiosk while waiting for the wife to finish shopping.
All emergency (911) calls are free. Any cellphone that is functional can make 911 calls whether it has active service or not, no “minutes” needed.
I think we are $90 a month for three phones, unlimited. My wife had this plan since the 90’s. I was paying $100 a year for a ghetto phone(Tracfone) but it got no reception. Sometimes I wish I still had it.
I do know how much a teenage uses a cell. I have a couple.
“...has a free phone that is not traceable to them,”
why do I suspect this is what Barky’s up to?!!
how many free phones do you think Mexican drug cartels and AQ operatives have by now?
Next up for Eric Holder: Operation Phonerunner to the Mexican cartels.
But this can’t be, because we all know that poor people in the US are starving and desperately in need and don’t get enough veggies because they live in “food deserts”. You mean it’s all a lie???? Maybe they should just order pizza using their “free” cell phones.
The list, ping
Let me know if you would like to be on or off the ping list
How many of the recent violent race mobs have used free cell phones to organize their attacks?
GailA,
You said: ‘’THIS IS PART OF THE ALGORE TAX ON YOUR PHONE.’’
I’ve been griping about that since it started showing up on the bills way back. You’d be surprised (maybe not) that not a darned soul I mention it to knows what the he** I’m talking about.
That ignorance is how these guys sneak those taxes through...
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