The Hill
Supporters rally to defense of 'Obama phone' program
By Brendan Sasso
03/16/13  

Republicans have targeted a federal phone subsidy, widely referred to as the "Obama phone" program, as a prime example of wasteful government spending. 

But supporters of the program are coming to its defense, arguing that it is crucial for ensuring that needy people are able to communicate with their loved-ones and call for help in an emergency. 

"Allow me to set the record straight," said Mignon Clyburn, a Democratic member of the Federal Communications Commission, in a speech on Friday. "Without this program, 15 million low-income families would literally be choosing between feeding their children or going without a dial tone that potentially could save their lives and put them on a better economic path." 

Consumer advocacy groups Public Knowledge, Free Press, the Center for Media Justice and the Utility Reform Network issued statements praising Clyburn for her full-throated defense of the subsidy. 

The nearly $2 billion program, officially called Lifeline, is managed by the FCC and began long before President Obama took office. 

Congress first enacted the Lifeline program in 1985, during the Reagan administration. In 2005, under President George W. Bush, the FCC expanded the program to cover cellphone service. 

The program pays for phone service, not the phones themselves. But many companies that receive funding through the program offer free and low-cost phones to their subscribers. 

The program is funded through fees that the telephone companies pass on to consumers on their monthly bills. 

Lifeline gained more attention last year when conservatives seized on a viral video of a woman saying she would vote for President Obama because he gave her a free phone… 

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