Channel 10, the NBC-TV affiliate in Providence, Rhode Island, is going after free government cell phone fraud like a bulldog after a bone. The attached video shows the station’s shocking story.
The station says that the fraud costs local Rhode Island taxpayers about $200,000 per year and costs millions nationally.
Jim Taricani, a reporter for the NBC 10 I-Team, hit the streets of Woonsocket, Rhode Island and found a wireless company blatantly handing out free cell phones to welfare recipients right on the street.
When Taricani aksed the worker what she was doing, she looked at him like he had two heads.
“We were watching a worker for the Life Wireless company hand out free cell phones at taxpayer subsidized rates to welfare recipients,” Taricani reported. “The company doesn’t attempt to see if anyone getting a cell phone already has one from another company but they do check to see if a welfare recipient already has a phone from their company.”
That irked Taricani, so he asked Life Wireless, the company giving away the free phones, if it isn’t exploiting welfare recipients and the Lifeline Assistance program.
“We help thousands of poor people across the country, Life spokesperson Jim Carpenter said. “…but there is no national data base to check for duplicate phones from other companies.”
Taricani tracked down Charles Beauregard, a free government cell phone recipients who has multiple phones thanks to the generosity of the American taxpayer. The following conversation ensued:
Taricani: I hear you have a few cell phones courtesy of the taxpayer.
Beauregard: I have two.
Reporter: Two?
Beauregard: Yeah.
Reporter: You’re only supposed to have one.
Beauregard: Oh. I didn’t know.
As Taricani correctly points out, the FCC is supposed to oversee the Lifeline Assistance program, but too much fraud has slipped through the cracks. In Rhode Island, as in other states, the public utility commission’s only role is to license the companies to do business.
“Our rules really are based on the FCC rules,” Thomas Kogut, Rhode Island Public Utility Commission spokesperson said. “And the provision that you only have one Lifeline account per household.”
We’re happy to say that the FCC will launch a national data base next year that will check each welfare recipient’s cell phone application to ensure that the recipient doesn’t already have a Lifeline phone with another company. The FCC expects this simple crosscheck to save taxpayers $35 million dollars.
Keep up the good work, Channel 10. Please help us continue to weed fraud out of this terrific program.
Source: Turnto10.com
CapDad says
Jimmy,
Just hope you don’t find yourself in hardship, and then people tell you to f@#$ off and
get a job. You might have to start selling apples….
Jimmy says
B.S.!
w harrison says
This program needs to either be eliminated or drastically curtailed to save the people paying the bills money.
Joyce McClurg says
Everyone does not have a lot of $. Phones save lives and keep poor people connected with their family!