pentapus wrote:
On 10/14/2014 11:23 PM, Mike Marlow wrote:
pentapus wrote:
On 10/14/2014 9:58 PM, Lew Hodgett wrote:

http://money.cnn.com/2012/10/26/tech...e-free-phones/

The subsidy is from a government-created program called Lifeline, which
is paid for by customer fees on most phone bills. The program is
overseen by the Federal Communications Commission, and has its roots in
a universal access initiative that began in 1985, during Ronald Reagan's
administration.


Here's how it works: If you're eligible for other forms of government
assistance like Medicaid or food stamps (the rules differ by state),
then you qualify to receive a $9.25 per month phone subsidy.


Participating wireless companies will typically offer a free phone (paid
for by the company), with an allotment of Lifeline minutes each month.
Lifeline subscribers can collect only one monthly subsidy, for either a
landline or a wireless phone. Around 75% of them have chosen to go wireless.

Where does the money for Lifeline subsidy come from? You.
Take a look at your phone bill and you'll see a charge -- typically a
few dollars a month -- for payments to the "Universal Service Fund."
That's the umbrella program covering various ventures, including
Lifeline, that are designed to make telephone communications universally
available to all Americans.

how about more pay phones? bring them back