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Emphasizing the obvious: NBC News performs remarkably superficial analysis of free government cell phone program

May 4, 2016

NBC News recently ran an analysis of the Lifeline Assistance free government cell phone program that started with these hopeful words:

“The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) plans to expand Lifeline, a government program that subsidizes telephone service for the poor. Yet very little is understood about the people who depend on the assistance.”

We couldn’t wait to read the in-depth analysis of the program’s customers. We couldn’t wait for America’s leading news organization to explain more fully so more people would understand this invaluable program. Unfortunately, superficial fiddle faddle is what we got instead:

California, New York and Florida are among the states that depend on the subsidy the most. The Golden State tops the list with about 1.5 million subscribers, according to data from the Universal Service Administration Company (USAC), while the Empire State has just under 1 million. Wyoming and South Dakota have the fewest subscribers, USAC data shows.

Here’s a news flash, NBC: California, New York and Florida may just have the most Lifeline customers because they are the states with the first, third and fourth largest populations. Duh. It also stands to reason that Texas, the state with the second highest population, isn’t on the list because it has no state income tax, which allows people to keep more of their disposable income, and because of the oil boom, which has lowered the state’s unemployment rate.

To continue along the same lines, Wyoming and South Dakota may just have the fewest subscribers because they have so few people — Wyoming’s population ranks 50th out of the fifty states and South Dakota ranks 46th.

Aha, you any say. What about the states that rank 47th, 48th and 49th. Please allow us to explain. North Dakota, which ranks 47th in population, has the nation’s lowest unemployment rate because of the oil boom. Fewer Alaskans qualify for the free government cell phone program in Alaska because the state’s average wage is 20% higher than the U.S. average. And as of February 2016, Vermont’s unemployment rate was an enviable 3.6%.

NBC continues its “insightful” analysis:

States and tribal territories that offer both of the top Lifeline providers—Assurance Wireless, a subsidiary of Virgin Mobile, and SafeLink Wireless, a subsidy of TrackFone (sic)—tend to have the largest subscriber figures, according to Philip Colvin of USAC, which serves as the program’s administrator.

He added that those mobile providers are the most aggressive at promoting Lifeline plans, which is probably why they have the most subscribers.

When asked why he robbed banks, Willie Sutton, an infamous criminal from the 1930’s, said, “Because that’s where the money is.”

Despite what NBC News may say, it’s clear that the same theory is true in this case. States don’t have larger numbers of Lifeline subscribers because that’s where Safelink Wireless and Assurance Wireless do business. The exact opposite is true. Safelink and Assurance do business in those states because that’s where the subscribers are — in states with more people and more poverty.

Duh.

At this point, NBC News was like a baseball manager who went out to the mound and took out his starting writer and brought in a relief writer to continue the Einstein-like genius. In this case, the USAC’s Philip Colvin was replaced by Ken McEldowney of Consumer Action:

Lifeline recipients “by definition are very poor” and they don’t have access to other telecommunication services, said Ken McEldowney, executive director of the Consumer Action advocacy group. The majority speak English, but there’s a large number of them who are Spanish speaking, according to McEldowney.

The program aids a “complete cross section of low-income consumers, McEldowney says. However, there are also a large number of Asian Americans and senior citizens who receive Lifeline assistance, he added, noting that the demographics change depending on the state.

McEldowney’s contention that “demographics change depending on the state,” requires a quick translation:

States with lower poverty rates generally have fewer free government cell phone customers per capita. States with fewer Spanish speakers have have fewer Spanish-speaking free government cell phone customers per capita. States with fewer Asian Americans have fewer … well, there’s probably no need to continue beating this dead horse.

Again, duh.

We’re happy that NBC News chose to cover the Lifeline Assistance free government cell phone program. We just wish they would have dug in a little deeper and given it the attention and analysis it deserves.

Low-income Americans deserve no less.

Tagged as: Assurance Wireless, California, Florida, media, New York, Safelink Wireless

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Comments

  1. TimGuy says

    December 5, 2017 at 5:01 pm

    This has got to be the most pointless article about absolutely nothing?? Horrible absolutely horrible

    • Free Government Cell Phones says

      December 5, 2017 at 7:59 pm

      Praise from a master is indeed gratifying.

      • Tara says

        March 8, 2020 at 10:25 pm

        I’m on disability extremely has Medical problems ND need a free cell phone I can’t afford it

        • Free Government Cell Phones says

          March 9, 2020 at 12:46 am

          You can find a list of all the companies and plans available in your state at this link:

          https://www.freegovernmentcellphones.net/states

          Make sure you check each of them carefully to find the one that fits your needs best, then enroll using the contact info we provide.

  2. Daniel Arkwookerum says

    September 11, 2016 at 9:06 pm

    I blog frequently and I truly thank you for your information. Your article has really peaked my interest. I am going to take a note of your blog and keep checking for new details about once a week. I opted in for your RSS feed as well.

  3. llinda says

    May 6, 2016 at 5:12 am

    One can expect nothing more from the news media BOBBLE HEADS,

  4. Steve says

    May 5, 2016 at 10:11 pm

    I personally think NBC News (any News agency) as well as many of our elected officials cater to the money that helps pay their bills.
    Not the other way around – as the money that helps pay low-income peoples bills, besides this would merit a bias from them as it limits their Net figures in someway. (To bad we all weren’t born with the silver spoon in our mouths)-(Or as my grandfather would say, born rich instead of good looking and then being beat out of both).

    I totally agree with FGCP statement “dug in a little deeper and given it the attention and analysis it deserves.”
    Why to put forth an effort, if it’s not going to be your best effort, no matter how you’d slice and dice it. *I guess there should be a law on the books for this, called malice of your point in making a relative and meaningful point.
    NBC surly must of needed this as a filler of some sorts to say they brought us the News in rationale.

    As long as we allow others to rule and govern ourselves the system will never be fair or just, to people living day to day. Maybe someday artificial intelligence will take over and handle this roll of society, so we have no more Judge Judy’s and the like telling us, that beauty is skin deep and dumb is forever or to the bone (however she says it).
    I used this as an example – how not only are we allowing this class of people to rule and govern us but, at the same time belittle us as well with their bias of us in one way or another.

    Who knows the future might hold a “Soylent Green (1973)” future for us low-income poor people to that of the Rich Ruling Governing class – if all goes to H in a hand basket as it did in the movie.

  5. Wayne says

    May 5, 2016 at 9:12 am

    As usual the media does it’s best to make gov’t assistance programs look bad.And of coarse they would be the first to be on the service it it were them that were the low income people on the program. The media always thinks their way of thinking covers the way Americans think but they need to be put in their place and completely discover what is going on before judging what’s really going on. Next time research thing more thoroughly before writing a story about anything.

  6. Sarah Hearn-von Foerster says

    May 5, 2016 at 7:37 am

    WHY ISN’T THIS SERVICE AVAILABLE IN ALL 48 STATES? NORTH CAROLINA , FOR INSTANCE, HAS A GREAT NEED .

    • Free Government Cell Phones says

      May 5, 2016 at 8:59 am

      There are only a couple states that don’t participate in the free government cell phone program. So it is widely available in North Carolina.

      Here’s a link to our North Carolina page, which offers a full list of free government cell phone companies in the Tar Heel State. Click through them all to find a plan that’s best for you (most minutes/texts/data/whatever):
      https://www.freegovernmentcellphones.net/states/north-carolina-government-cell-phone-providers

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