Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., led criticism of the...
Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., led criticism of the “failed” Lifeline program Friday. “If Congress had the opportunity to reauthorize this program instead of allowing it to grow on auto-pilot, Lifeline wouldn’t be able to survive,” said a letter signed by…
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Blackburn and 43 Republican House members, addressed to FCC acting Chairwoman Mignon Clyburn (http://1.usa.gov/1hILOBt). Lifeline, intended to help low-income Americans, has come to “symbolize everything that is wrong with Washington as it’s one of the worst examples of corporate welfare in the federal government,” they wrote, citing its rising costs in recent years and reports that question its effectiveness. There’s no way to win back trust for the program, they said. The letter included several queries to Clyburn, such as what makes Lifeline more important than other USF programs, whether she would support a $2 copay to participate in Lifeline and ways to cut spending in half by the end of 2014. “How much time and how many resources has the FCC wasted trying to save this failed welfare program?” The FCC has defended recent changes to the program as ending waste, fraud and abuse. On its website www.lifelinesupport.org/ls, the Universal Service Administrative Co., which administers the program says: “Eligible households can receive up to $9.25 per month in discounts. Additional state support may be available."