Free Republic

The CEO of a company that benefited immensely from the Lifeline program, commonly referred to as ‘Obama phones’ during the Obama administration, has been sentenced to five years in prison and, along with his company, ordered to pay $128 million in fines. Issa Asad, 51, of Southwest Ranches, FL, and his company, Q Link Wireless, were sentenced for a years-long scheme to steal over $100 million from the ‘Obama phone’ program dating back to 2012. Asad was also sentenced over charges of money laundering. Between 2013 and 2019, Q Link Wireless made $618,736,494 from the Lifeline program. According to the...

Three leading House Energy and Commerce Committee Democrats are calling for an oversight hearing on the Federal Communications Commission's Lifeline program, a phone subsidy for the poor that has been disparagingly referred to as the "Obama phone" program. The program, which began long before President Obama took office, has been notorious for waste and abuse. The FCC enacted reforms last year aimed at trimming billions of dollars from the program, but recent reports indicate that people who are ineligible for the program are still receiving subsidies. The program gained more attention last year when conservatives seized on a viral video...