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Portland TV station reports latest news on the free government cell phone program. How does it impact you?

November 17, 2014

Steve Dunn, host of the You Paid For It news segment on KATU-TV in Portland, Oregon this week reported the latest news on LifeLine Assistance, the free government cell phone program, in his state.

You can watch the embedded video or read the transcript below (edited slightly to make the video script easier to understand in a reading format).

Transcript:

On tonight’s You Paid For It, we’re talking phone service. I want to tell you right out front that this is a program that’s made its way through many Presidents of both parties starting with Reagan. But should it still be around today? You watch the story and let me know what you think. Either way, You Paid For It.

“I can have cabbage, right?” said Miranda Dukes, shopping at a local Portland food pantry.

Miranda Dukes is positive about her future.

“Lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. Wow. Thanks.”

She’s an expectant mother and goes to a community college. But she’s still struggling through a tough spot in her life and is getting help at a food pantry.

“Oh, it’s a little nerve racking,” she said with a big smile on her face. “Six weeks and five days and going,” she said in reference to the impending birth of her child.

One of the biggest obstacles for her? Not having a phone.

“The woman of the home, she let’s me use her phone, but she’s, like, ‘I want my phone back’, she said with a nervous laugh.

To solve that problem, Miranda has applied for a government program that will give her a free cell phone and 250 free minutes a month. It’s a program called Lifeline, paid for by user fees on landline and cell phone bills. To qualify you just need to be at 135% of the Federal Poverty Level. For a single person you can’t make more than $15,755 a year. A family of four, no more than $32,198. And only one phone allowed per household.

Talk to anyone on the street or in a homeless shelter and they call it the Obamaphone.

“I call it Oh, mama, it’s the Obamaphone,” said Michael Gutierrez, a Portland resident who already has his free government cell phone.

But some people disagree. Like Lars Larsen, a nationally-syndicated talk radio host.

“Let’s go to the phones now. Russ is on the line. Hey, Russ, welcome to the program. What’s on your mind?”

“What’s wrong with the Obamaphones,” Larsen continued, “because people can walk into Walmart right now — I checked on this the last time I was in, which was a couple weeks ago — and $10 will buy you a phone. A pretty nice phone.”

Gutierrez likes the free phone, one of many free subsidies he’s getting. Oregonians like the phones, too. A government report shows that 57,000 people were signed up for Lifeline in February of last year. The most recent count? Almost 91,000 are dialing for free.

“The appeal of the free service is what’s contributed to the growth we’ve seen in the past few years.”

The Public Utility Commission oversees the program in Oregon. They check every application to make sure you’re eligible for a phone, a process that can take up to two weeks. Not every state has been doing it this way.

“I can go to the same van tomorrow and get another phone,” said one Maryland resident.

In Maryland, abuse of the program was rampant. Media reports show that subscribers grew from about 6000 in 2008 to about 500,000 in 2012. A TV station there found people with bags full of phones. A government audit eventually kicked almost a quarter of a million people off the program in that state.

“There was a real rip-off going on,” said Oregon Congressman Greg Walden who oversees the program in his sub-committee on Communications and Technology. He said the Federal Communications Commission had fixed most of those problems but Congress is looking into reforms.

“We’re going to look into that whole issue as part of our re-write of the Communications Act,” Walden continued.

So expect to be paying Michael’s phone bill for a while.

“Forever,” Gutierrez laughed. “As long as I don’t loan it out or no one steals it, I’ll have it for a while.”

That angered Lars Larsen. “Does this person really have an absolute need for this phone and is not spending money anywhere else in their life that they could divert to this supposedly essential service?”

“I’m fighting to get out of this spot,” Miranda Dukes said.

Miranda hopes we won’t have to pay for hers much longer.

“I want to make change,” she said. “I’m ready for it.”

*****

Our congratulations to Dunn and the entire KATU-TV news team. Instead of presenting the typical hysterical, unbalanced report we’re so used to seeing on the news, this You Paid For It report showed both sides of the story and even presented free government cell phone customers in a positive light.

This is the kind of reporting we could all use more of.

Source: KATU.COM

Tagged as: media, Oregon

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Comments

  1. danny Williams says

    April 5, 2015 at 10:17 am

    I need my phone to be unlimited talk and text how do I do that! And international calls and text!

  2. Linda Page says

    April 4, 2015 at 12:21 pm

    As a long-time politically-active resident of Portland, Oregon I can tell you for certain that the unemployment rate as of April, 2015 is still quite high in Oregon as is the “Hunger Rate.” In plain talk, Oregon is poor. (Our new Governor, Kate Brown, is very proactive on formulating solutions to these problems.) Sure some of these free cell phones are given out to those who will not use them for their intended purpose BUT those who have a genuine need for them should be able to get – and use them. For example, ever try to get a job without having a phone number the potential employer can use to reach you? Ever need emergency medical, police, or fire services and not have a phone? Ever have a sick kid at school whose school nurse needs to contact you? How about the emergency notification services that many cities/counties have to let you know about storms, floods, criminals on the loose in your area, etc.? THIS IS WHAT THESE FREE CELL PHONES ARE FOR. No matter how large or small their income, there will always be people misusing programs and benefits. YOU don’t have to be one of them. Lars Larson is a well-known Conservative so his take on this matter was very predictable. GOOD ON YA, Steve Dunn, for presenting both sides of this issue! PS – Mr. Larson, this program is supported by the telephone carriers providing the services.

  3. Sarah Hearn-vonFoerster, CFP says

    November 18, 2014 at 5:02 pm

    Balanced reporting helps everyone help those who need it the most. As you state, abuse leads to loss. Why w people would do that and risk such a necessary benefit bewilders me.

  4. Lion-O says

    November 18, 2014 at 10:32 am

    I am a Senior and Veteran, I can really need help with having Internet of low cost as well as phone services. In my case I would feel better if changes were made to help streem line the lifeline program so that the losses due to abuse can help those that can’t get to a library and such.
    Please let the Powers That Be (FCC) that change is needed on Internet Help for the Low income in Florida and other states..
    Thanks In Advance.

  5. diana keurajian says

    November 18, 2014 at 10:24 am

    I wood. like. get. the obama phone. just. one. Plescse.to.me.arddess ***** punkin.st new caney tx. 77357.

  6. ron says

    November 18, 2014 at 9:29 am

    I just wish when you move to a state where your free phone does not work, you could be able to sign up faster.

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