OBAMA PHONE VIRAL VIDEO

Obama Phone Viral Video

Obama phone viral videos: 1. "Obama gave us a phone" lady and 2. an expose of the possibly corrupted Lifeline government phone program

Two videos that went viral about the Obama Phone, the "free government cellphone" from the government Lifeline program that was started by Reagan. June 2013 an Obama phone viral video shows a problem with program abuses. In 2012 an Obama phone viral video shows a lady who has a free government phone talking about the "Obama Phone" program. She expresses her enthusiasm for the "Obama Phone" and other programs that help people get stuff for free from the taxpayers of America (she thinks it comes from Obama, however.)

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"Obama Phone" is the popular, unofficial term that refers to free communications phones provided by the "Lifeline Program" to eligible Americans. See below for more details about the "Obama Phone."*

Click here to find out how to get your free Obama Phone
 



Update 2013:  Obamaphone lady changes her mind, says, 

"Obama, you punk!"

Lifeline is a government benefit program that provides discounts on monthly telephone service (i.e. the "Obama Phone") for eligible low-income consumers to help ensure they have the opportunities and security that telephone service affords, including being able to connect to jobs, family, and 911 services. Lifeline is supported by the federal Universal Service Fund (USF).

Who Pays for the Lifeline Program and the "Obama Phone"?

The "Obama Phone" is not really "free." You may be one of the people that helps pay for the program.  All telecommunications service providers and certain other providers of telecommunications must contribute to the federal USF based on a percentage of their end-user telecommunications revenues. These companies include wireline telephone companies, wireless telephone companies, and certain Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) providers. Some consumers may notice a “Universal Service” line item on their telephone bills. This line item appears when a company chooses to recover its USF contributions directly from its customers by billing them this charge. The FCC does not require this charge to be passed on to customers. Each company makes a business decision about whether and how to assess charges to recover its Universal Service costs.

What documentation do I need to provide at enrollment to get an Obama Phone?

Program Eligibility Verification - Acceptable documentation when applying for the "Obama Phone" and other related programms includes: Current or prior year's statement of benefits from a qualifying program; notice letter of participation in qualifying program; program participation documents (or copy); or another official document of a qualifying program. Income Eligibility Verification - Acceptable documentation includes: The prior year's state, federal or Tribal tax return; current income statement from an employer or paycheck stub; Social Security statement of benefits; Veterans Administration statement of benefits; Retirement or pension statement of benefits; Unemployment or Workers' Compensation statement of benefits; Federal or Tribal notice letter of participation in General Assistance; or divorce decree, child support award, or other official document containing income information. The consumer must present the same type of documentation covering 3 consecutive months within the previous 12 months, if the documentation does not cover a full year of income.

Who Qualifies for the Obama Phone?

The Lifeline program is available to eligible low-income consumers in every state, territory, commonwealth, and on Tribal lands. You must be eligible to enroll. To participate in the program, consumers must either have an income that is at or below 135% of the federal Poverty Guidelines or participate in one of the following assistance programs:

    Medicaid;
    Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Food Stamps or SNAP);
    Supplemental Security Income (SSI);
    Federal Public Housing Assistance (Section 8);
    Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP);
    Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF);
    National School Lunch Program's Free Lunch Program;
    Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance;
    Tribally-Administered Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TTANF);
    Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR);
    Head Start (if income eligibility criteria are met); or
    State assistance programs (if applicable).

*Source of this information is public information published on the FCC website.

The video seen in this blog is the suddenly-famous viral video about the Obama Phones.

Obama Phone blogs and websites are not affiliated with the FCC, the Lifeline Program or any other governmental agency or company.

Government Phone

Get a Government Phone 

Do you qualify for a free government phone and monthly free minutes? The government’s Lifeline Program gives out "free government phones" and monthly service to Americans who qualify. Times are challenging for some folks these days, and you might have to choose whether or not you can continue to pay for your mobile cell phone, if you even have one. But did you know you the government has authorized phone companies to provide "free government phones" to millions Americans?

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Click HERE for help to get a free Obama phone




How free government phones help you:

• -An employer can contact you more easily to discuss a job offer if you have a free government phone. 
• -Keeping in contact with your doctor and other emergency medical professionals is easier with a free government phone. 
• -A free government phone can help you stay connected with family and other loved ones. 

The government will pay for your free cell phone and limited monthly minutes!



Free government cell phone by staceygriffin

What is the free government phone? 

Thanks to the FCC-mandated, government funded program, called LifeLine Assistance, the financially disadvantaged can apply for a "free government phone" and up to 250 free minutes every month. About 12.5 million other Americans already are a part of this program, and millions more qualify for application. With the economy being shaky and falling further behind, many Americans are finding themselves eligible for the Lifeline government phone service program than ever before. The federal government set up the Lifeline phone service in the 1990's (by Ronald Reagan) as a program via a mandate by the FCC. Lifeline program is funded by Universal Service Fund fees on everyone's telephone bills, and it provides qualified consumers with discounted (often free) monthly phone service. It began as just a landline program and a few years ago made it added cell phones to eligibility. It’s been commonly called the “Obama phone” but that’s an urban legend as free cell phones were added under the Bush Administration, and by Reagan before that for landlines. There are about 12 million or so active owners of free government phones with service provided through this government funded program, provided mostly by three major mobile phone companies who are backed by large telecommunications companies like Sprint/Nextel. (Think they are making any money? hmmmm.....anyway...)

What you get with your free government phone: 

 A free government phone is not necessarily just a cheap wireless phone or a discounted version. These are newer models, fully featured cell phones, backed by large and established mobile phone corporations. You won’t get an iPhone, Android or Blackberry, but you’ll get a basic, new cell phone. In addition to getting the cell phone, which comes with voice mail, call waiting and caller ID, you will typically get up to 250 minutes of airtime per month. It’s not enough airtime to let your teenager gab on it everyday, and it's intended for emergency and important usage. Really, anyone complaining should remember that service is provided for "free" to qualified users in need, and is indirectly paid for by other tax-paying Americans. In addition, most companies offer the ability to send and receive text messages.

Who do you get the free government phone from? Several companies participate in the Lifeline program, but three of them dominate the market. You may not have heard of the names of the providing companies, but you’ll recognize the big name companies behind their Lifeline divisions. Safelink Wireless is the largest of the providers, backed by prepaid wireless company Tracfone. Assurance Wireless is another growing companay, and is a subsidiary of Nextel/Sprint’s Virgin Wireless. ReachOut Wireless, backed by Nexus Communications, is also involved. They all have various plans to choose from and you can select one that will work for you. Other major companies can also help provide Lifeline free government phones as well. Because this is a federal government-sponsored program, the features of each company’s plans are similar, and the qualifications to obtain the phone are similar across company plans and across different states. You can find out how easy it is to qualify for a government phone, either by current qualification certain public assistance programs, or based on your low income. These government phones are reserved for people in need.

So no matter why you need a cell phone: to look for employment, to keep in contact with your kids, or to have on hand for an emergency,­ you can get one without any up-front investment.

 Click here to learn more on how to qualify and apply!

OBAMA Phones - Taxpayer Scam Lets Companies Get Rich

Obama Phones: taxpayer Scam?

Obama Phone Is a Taxpayer Scam?  Cellphone Companies Get Rich?

The “Stop Taxpayer Funded Cellphone Act of 2011″ seeks to stop abuses of the “government Lifeline” program enacted by Reagan decades ago.  This program was initially enacted to help provide emergency phone access in rural areas but is now enabling private cell phone companies to make millions of dollars promoting “free Obama phones” to millions of people.

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CLICK TO GET HELP GETTING A FREE OBAMA PHONE

CLICK TO WATCH THE VIDEO ABOUT WHAT'S BEHIND "OBAMA CELLPHONES"

The 2011 “Stop Taxpayer Funded Cellphone Act of 2011″ from Rep. Tim Griffin of Arkansas (H.R. 3481) is a bill that would :

“prohibit universal service support of commercial mobile service through the Lifeline program."

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ‘Stop Taxpayer Funded Cell Phones Act of 2011’.

SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON LIFELINE SUPPORT FOR COMMERCIAL MOBILE SERVICE.

(a) In General- A provider of commercial mobile service may not receive universal service support under sections 214(e) and 254 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 214(e); 254) for the provision of such service through the Lifeline program of the Federal Communications Commission.

(b) Commercial Mobile Service Defined- In this section, the term ‘commercial mobile service’ has the meaning given such term in section 332(d)(1) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 332(d)(1)).Comments

Introduced last November  2011 by Rep. Tim Griffin (R-Ark.), the Stop Taxpayer Funded Cell Phones Act of 2011, has three co-sponsors, Rep. Rodney Alexander (R-La.), Rep. Bill Posey (R-Fla.) and Rep. Dennis Ross (R-Fla.). Right now, the bill is in the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

It is possible that you will soon see an additional charge on your Internet service bill, not just your phone bill where phone customer pay a “UTC” surcharge to pay for the Lifeline Program. Currently, the government is thinking of providing free wireless Internet service to the people under this program instead of [providing] old-fashioned land phones. According to FCC documents the subsidy is already in place; and when combined, these programs are expected to cost Internet/phone subscribers $2.4 billion this year alone.

Lifeline Program is the Obama Phone

Lifeline Program is the "Obama Phone"

This CNN Money video shows the real story about the so-called “free obama phone” from "the government."

What’s the real deal behind the “free” “Obama Phone”? Think you know? Look again!

“17-million Americans get subsidized phone service through the Lifeline program and the world’s richest man is benefiting.” – CNN money

Almost $2 billion a year now goes from taxpayers to offer “free obama phones?” 17 million phones are now subsidized by tax payers? 4 million Trackphone subscribers are gathered for the benefit of a private company? 100′s of “free phones a day from other cell phone companies are paying private cell phone companies? Don't know that this was a Reagan program - not an “obama phone” program? “Lifeline Program” is a tax-payer funded program that runs through surcharges on people's telephone service bills  - it comes from the wallets of paying phone customers without calling it a tax, it's a "surcharge."  But is this a tax?

Have you gotten your "free" Obama phone? (Or did you just buy one for somebody else…?)


Have you watched the famous “obama phone lady” viral video? Don’t miss this one! – CLICK HERE TO WATCH HER NOW! 

The Federal Lifeline program goes back to 1996 and Ronald Reagan - NOT Obama.

It was included in the Telecommunications Act of 1996. The Act did several things, including helping to provide internet service to rural hospital doctors, patients and hospitals. It is subsidizing internet and phone coverage for schools and libraries. It is helping with aid for free or subsidized coverage for people who can’t afford phone service so they can reach emergency services. The Act was not really taxpayer funded through federal taxes directly — the Act “mandated the creation of the universal service fund (USF) into which all telecommunications providers are required to contribute a percentage of their interstate and international end-user telecommunications revenues.” This is why you will entries on your phone bill labeled “USF” That’s what you’re paying for. Supposedly, this act was not intended to force people to participate with payment of it in the form of a “tax”, per se. But in fact, the phone companies pass their obligation to pay that by charging their customers with those USF fees. Ever tried to get that removed from your bill?

Somebody is trying to stop the misuse of the original purpose for the Lifeline Program:

There is a bill to stop this practice, now that it has expanded to millions of cell phones which earns millions of dollars for certain private cell phone companies, as the video above describes. The “stop taxpayer funded cell phone act” is an effort to curb this program which some people believe is being used as a tax and which is not being used in the way it was originally intended. The act attempts to stop cell phone providers from promoting and reaping benefits from this program. The act wants to” “Prohibits a provider of commercial mobile communications service from receiving universal service support under specified provisions of the Communications Act of 1934 for the provision of such service through the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Lifeline program (a program that provides discounts on monthly telephone service to qualifying low-income consumers).”

The Obama Phone: "Lifeline Program"

 The Obama Phone is from the "Lifeline Program"

"Obama Phone" is the popular, unofficial term that refers to free communications phones provided by the "Lifeline Program" to eligible Americans.

The "Obama Phone" is available through a government program for low-income consumers called "The Lifeline Program." Here are some details published on the FCC's "lifeline" webpage in January 2012:

"Lifeline is a government benefit program supported by the Universal Service Fund that provides a discount on phone service for qualifying low-income consumers. Lifeline helps ensure that eligible consumers have the opportunities and security that phone service brings, including being able to connect to jobs, family, and emergency services.

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CLICK HERE TO GET HELP FINDING A FREE OBAMA PHONE 

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The Lifeline program is available to eligible low-income consumers in every state, territory, commonwealth, and on Tribal lands. Consumers with proper proof of eligibility may be qualified to enroll.  To participate in the program, consumers must have an income that is at or below 135% of the federal Poverty Guidelines or participate in a qualifying state, federal or Tribal assistance program. To participate in the program, consumers must either have an income that is at or below 135% of the federal Poverty Guidelines or participate in one of the following assistance programs:

• Medicaid;
• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Food Stamps or SNAP);
• Supplemental Security Income (SSI);
• Federal Public House Assistance (Section 8);
• Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP);
• Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF);
• National School Lunch Program's Free Lunch Program;
• Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance;
• Tribally-Administrered Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TTANF);
• Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR);
• Head Start (if income eligibility criteria are met); or
• State assistance programs (if applicable).

Federal rules prohibit eligible low-income consumers from receiving more than one Lifeline discount per household.  An eligible consumer may receive a discount on either a wireline or wireless service, but not both.  A consumer whose household currently is receiving more than one Lifeline service must select a single Lifeline provider and contact the other provider to de-enroll from their program. Consumers violating this rule may also be subject to criminal and/or civil penalties. The Lifeline program is administered by the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC).  USAC is responsible for data collection and maintenance, support calculation, and disbursement for the low-income program.  USAC’s website provides information regarding administrative aspects of the low-income program, as well as program requirements. On January 31, 2012, the Commission adopted comprehensive reform and modernization of the Lifeline program.   As a universal service program that fulfills Congress’s mandate to ensure the availability of communications to all Americans, Lifeline for the past 25 years has helped tens of millions of low-income Americans afford basic phone service.  Access to telephone service is essential for finding a job, connecting with family, or getting help in an emergency, and the percentage of low-income households with phone service has increased from 80% in 1985, when Lifeline began, to nearly 92% last year. "

This information is provided by the FCC (US Federal government's) website www.fcc.gov/lifeline

OBAMA PHONE: FCC Reforms, Modernizes Lifeline Program for Low-Income Americans

OBAMA PHONE: FCC Reforms, Modernizes Lifeline Program for Low-Income Americans

"Obama Phone" is the popular, unofficial term that refers to free communications phones provided by the "Lifeline Program" to eligible Americans.

Related to the Obama Phone and the Lifeline Program, the press release below from the FCC website describes recent news about providing phone and broadband access to low-income Americans:
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 Click here to find out how to get a free Obama Phone

NEWS (*see source)
Federal Communications Commission, News Media Information 202 / 418-0500
445 12th Street, S.W.; Internet: http://www.fcc.gov; Washington, D. C. 20554; TTY: 1-888-835-5322; This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action. Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action. See MCI v. FCC. 515 F 2d 385 (D.C. Circ 1974). FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE- NEWS MEDIA CONTACT: January 31, 2012
Mark Wigfield, 202-418-0253 Email: mark.wigfield@fcc.gov

FCC REFORMS, MODERNIZES LIFELINE TO KEEP LOW-INCOME AMERICANS

CONNECTED TO JOBS, FAMILY, 911 SERVICES

Changes to Eliminate Waste, Fraud and Abuse and Improve Effectiveness

Washington, D.C. – Acting to reform and modernize a program vital to ensuring affordable
communications for low-income consumers, the Federal Communications Commission today approved a comprehensive overhaul of its Lifeline program. As a universal service program that fulfills Congress’s mandate to ensure the availability of communications to all Americans, Lifeline for the past 25 years has helped tens of millions of low-income Americans afford basic phone service. Access to telephone service is essential for finding a job,connecting with family, or getting help in an emergency, and the percentage of low-income households with phone service has increased from 80% in 1985, when Lifeline began, to nearly 92% last year. But the program faces real challenges, including rules that have failed to keep pace as consumers increasingly choose wireless phone service, and that create perverse incentives for some carriers. The FCC’s Lifeline reforms address these and other challenges, including through:


Changes to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse, saving up to $2 billion over 3 years
·
Setting a savings target of $200 million for 2012, and putting the Commission in a position to adopt an appropriate budget for the program in early 2013 after review of a six-month report and one-year report on the effects of the Order.

· Creation of a National Lifeline Accountability Database to prevent multiple carriers from receiving support for the same subscriber. The database will build on FCC efforts in 2011 that eliminated nearly 270,000 duplicate subscriptions in 12 states following review of over 3.6 million subscriber records, saving $33 million.

· Creation of eligibility databases from governmental data sources, enabling fully automated verification of consumers’ initial and ongoing Lifeline eligibility. This would reduce the potential for fraud while cutting red tape for consumers and providers. A database based on the three most common federal benefit programs through which consumers qualify for Lifeline will be created no later than the end of 2013.

· Establishing a one-per-household rule applicable to all providers in the program, defining household as an “economic unit” so that separate low-income families living at the same address can get connected.

· Establishing clear goals and metrics to measure program performance and effectiveness.
 ·
Phasing out support for services such as Toll Limitation – subsidies to carriers for blocking or restricting long-distance service—and ending Link Up – subsidies to carriers for initial connection charges. Link Up will continue in Tribal lands.
·
Reducing burdens on carriers by establishing a uniform, interim flat rate of reimbursement, allowing carriers to obtain a subscriber’s signature electronically, and streamlining enrollment through uniform, nationwide eligibility criteria.

Modernizing Lifeline
·
Adopting an express goal for the program of ensuring availability of broadband for all low-
income Americans.
·
Establish a Broadband Adoption Pilot Program using up to $25 million in savings from other reforms to test and determine how Lifeline can best be used to increase broadband adoption among Lifeline-eligible consumers. Starting this year, the program will solicit applicationsfrom broadband providers and will select a number of projects to fund. Lifeline will helpreduce the monthly cost of broadband service, but applicants will be expected to help address other challenges to broadband adoption, including the cost of devices and digital literacy.
·
Proposes increasing digital literacy training at libraries and schools. A Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeks comment on using savings from other Universal Service Fund reforms to increase digital literacy training at libraries and schools, a key step in increasing broadband adoption.
·
Build on FCC efforts to close the broadband adoption gap and address digital literacy, including the Connect-to-Compete initiative, which enlists government, non-profit, and private sector leaders to address broadband adoption barriers through digital literacy training and low-cost broadband availability.
·
Allow Lifeline support for bundled services plans combining voice and broadband or packages including optional calling features.

Lifeline reforms continue the FCC’s comprehensive overhaul of all universal service programs, consistent with recommendations in the National Broadband Plan.
Action by the Commission, January 31, 2012, by Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FCC 12-11). Chairman Genachowski approved; Commissioner McDowell approved, concurrred, and dissented in part; and Commissioner Clyburn approved and concurred in part. Separate statements issued by Chairman Genachowski, Commissioners McDowell and Clyburn. Wireline Competition Bureau Staff Contact: Kimberly Scardino at 202-418-1442 -FCC-

*Source: News about the Federal Communications Commission can also be found
on the Commission’s web site www.fcc.gov

Get Obama Phone

 Get Obama Phone 

Click here to get help applying and getting a free Obama Phone

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Qualifications:

If you, or members in your household are, receiving the following benefits you automatically qualify for the Lifeline program. Those interested in the program must have an income of less than 135% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. (For example in the 48 Contiguous States and D.C the income level is $22,350 per year for a family of four.)

• Food Stamps or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
• Medicaid
• Supplemental Security Income – commonly known as SSI
• Health Benefit Coverage under Child Health Insurance Plan (CHIP)
• The National School Lunch Program’s Free Lunch Program.
• Low-Income Energy Assistance Program – LIHEAP
• Federal Public Housing Assistance ( Section 8 )
• If you are a low-income Eligible Resident of Tribal Lands
• Temporary Assistance to Needy Families – TANF

Qualifications can vary by state. The best way to know if you qualify is by filling out an application for a Lifeline provider in your state.   "Obama Phone" is the popular, unofficial term for phones available to people who qualify for the Lifeline Program.