Posted on 08/09/2011 6:02:40 AM PDT by GailA
MEMPHIS, TN -
(WMC TV) - A rogue agent, representing a cellular phone company's participation in a federal government entitlement program, faked applications for the program, according to a company spokesperson.
As a result, Virgin Mobile/Assurance Wireless shipped an untold number of Tennesseans and Mississippians free, unsolicited cell phones.
"Our government's dealing with a debt crisis right now," said Bob Adams of Olive Branch, MS, a small business owner who received one of the phones. "It's the biggest news that you see, and we're struggling with a huge entitlement burden, and now we got our free government cell phones. So I was furious."
Adams was furious because he neither applied, nor does he qualify for the program supporting the free cell phones.
Virgin Mobile/Assurance Wireless is a vendor for the federal government's Lifeline Assistance program. Created during the Reagan administration in 1986, the program was designed to provide Americans on public assistance -- those receiving Medicaid, welfare checks (now TANF payments), food stamps and supplemental Social Security -- free or discounted phone service.
The program is funded by the Universal Service Fee that appears on most Americans' phone bills. The Universal Service Administrative Company (www.usac.org), a not-for-profit designated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to manage the fund, collects the fee and pays subsidies to telecommunications companies participating in Lifeline Assistance, according to Eric Iversen, USAC's director of external relations.
(Excerpt) Read more at wmctv.com ...
That's a sought after vintage phone. Sell it on ebay for a lot of money!
it maybe, but hubby loves that thing. All other harvest gold has been vanquished for black, bad choice, as bad as stainless for smudge marks and showing dust/dirt/streaks.
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