Free Republic

A South Carolina woman told police yesterday that her former boyfriend stole her “Obama phone” during a confrontation yesterday morning, according to an incident report. Tasha Mallory, 29, said that she was on her phone when Desmond Ty’Quan Gray, 22, “entered her apartment uninvited” Monday morning and “began to ask her who she was on the phone with.” Mallory and Gray “are not dating but have one child in common,” cops noted. According to Mallory, Gray tried to grab her phone, but she held it close to her chest “so Mr. Gray could not get to it.” Gray, Mallory alleged,...

The Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that police cannot go snooping through people’s cell phones without a warrant, in a unanimous decision that amounts to a major statement in favor of privacy rights. Police agencies had argued that searching through the data on cell phones was no different than asking someone to turn out his pockets, but the justices rejected that, saying a cell phone is more fundamental. The ruling amounts to a 21st century update to legal understanding of privacy rights. “The fact that technology now allows an individual to carry such information in his hand does not make the...

The Federal Communication Commission program, “Lifeline,” subsidizes the wireless service and allows carriers to dispense phones for no cost. Recipients of the free service are considered eligible if they do not earn more than 135 percent of the federal poverty level or if they participate in at least one other federal assistance program such as Medicaid, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) or public housing. Georgia alone has nearly 800,000 residents which use the service, but a new policy aimed at cracking down at fraud and wasteful spending forces companies to either increase free airtime to 500 hours or charge...

As Obamacare enrollment begins, the Department of Health and Human Services has a helpful tip for the program's so-called Navigators: "Do not leave documents that contain PII [Personally Identifiable Information] or tax return information on printers and fax machines." The warning is contained in Section 2.4.3 of the 207-page Health Insurance Marketplace Navigator Standard Operating Procedures Manual. The same section asks navigators to "double-check" the fax number before faxing Obamacare enrollee's tax returns: "When faxing PII or tax return information, double-check that the recipient's fax number is correct and that someone is able to pick up the faxed information immediately."...

The real problem with the Lifeline Program that provides free cell phones – commonly known as “Obamaphones” – to low-income individuals is not that it’s been abused, but that not enough low-income Latinos are using the subsidized phones, according to The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). “Probably about 30 to 35 percent of the people who qualify for Lifeline would be Latino, and yet only about 15 percent of the users of Lifeline are Latino,” Brent Wilkes, executive director of LULAC, said in a conference call Wednesday. When CNSNews asked for a comment on documented reports of fraud...

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) on Monday called for criminal charges to be filed against people who defrauded a federal phone subsidy program. McCaskill sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission, urging the agency to refer examples of fraud in its Lifeline program to the Justice Department for prosecution. "Knowingly providing false information to a government agency for profit must be investigated. If these companies are found in violation of federal law, I expect the DOJ will prosecute those responsible to the fullest extent of the law," she wrote. She also urged the FCC to more aggressively use its own...

FCC chief: Reagan could be proud of 'Obamaphone' program By Brendan Sasso - 09/12/13 05:58 PM ET Acting Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Mignon Clyburn forcefully defended her agency's phone subsidy program for the poor in a speech on Thursday. Conservative critics have claimed the FCC's Lifeline program is a wasteful government handout and referred to it as the "Obamaphone program." "Here’s the truth. The Lifeline program long predates the current administration," Clyburn said in the speech at the New America Foundation. "It was actually created during the Reagan administration, so let's give credit where credit is due. The Lifeline program...

Looking for a good paying job? Well, look no further. No, really, stop looking. In 35 states, welfare benefits pay more than a minimum wage job, according to a new study by the libertarian Cato Institute, and in 13 states welfare pays more than $15 per hour. “One of the single best ways to climb out of poverty is taking a job, but as long as welfare provides a better standard of living than an entry-level job, recipients will continue to choose it over work,” said Michael Tanner, senior policy analyst and co-author of the study. The study is an...

If you like your ridiculously high cell phone bill, there’s good news: President Obama wants to make it even higher! The president is pushing a plan to raise money by hiking cell phone fees and use the revenue generated to wire up local schools with high-speed Internet access. The idea of allowing states and towns to figure out how to pay for their own Internet access is evidently anathema to this administration, as is the idea that government should stay within its constitutional boundaries. He’s also planning to do this without input from Congress, via the Federal Communications Commission, according...

Not on welfare or below the poverty line? Never mind — here’s your free phone. By Jillian Kay Melchior Confession: You’re paying my phone bill. In the past month, I have received three shiny new cell phones, courtesy of American taxpayers, that should never have fallen into my hands. The Federal Communications Commission oversees the so-called Lifeline program, created in 1984 to make sure impoverished Americans had telephone service available to call their moms, bosses, and 911. In 2008, the FCC expanded the program to offer subsidized cell-phone service, and since then, the expenses of running the program have soared....

Remember the “Obama phone lady”? She’s the outspoken Obama supporter who was caught on video back in September ranting about how the president deserved a second term — mainly because he had given her, among many others, a free phone. She became an instant classic.Well, she’s back. And not only is she back, she’s back in one of the most incredible ways: in an interview with conspiracy-crazed radio host Alex Jones.In a sit down with Jones this week, the woman (real name: Michelle Dowery) gave what can only be described as one of the (if not ​the​) most entertaining interview...

A new 36-page e-book, purports to guide “undocumented immigrants” through the many numerous manners in which they can receive free government cell phones. Otherwise known as Obamaphones. The book is produced by a website called FreeGovernmentCellPhones.net, which is run by a man named Mark Henry. Henry had been linked to another pro-Obamaphone website prior to the election, which featured flattering imagery of candidate Obama, gave him credit for spreading the wealth around, and served as a campaign propaganda tool. In fact, the new guide for illegal immigrants doesn’t hide their love of the program, or their love of the man...

Enjoy! Obama Phone Remix - (J. Geils Band - Centerfold) - Michael Berry Showhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATOHRElaZQo

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James O’Keefe is back. His new book Breakthrough chronicling his undercover video takedowns of ACORN, NPR, and local election officials who ignore voter fraud is being published today. He also has a new video out that should embarrass two companies who distribute government-paid-for “Obamaphones” to people who claim they lack cellular service. Company reps are seen handing them out to O’Keefe allies who say they will sell them for drug money, to buy handbags, or to pay their bills. No objection is heard. O’Keefe will appear on tonight’s O’Reilly Factor to discuss just how much of a scam the $2.2...

Just in case you want more Obama in your life… AT&T is loading iPhones with emergency alerts from Barack Obama… That you can’t switch off. AT&T has begun rolling out Wireless Emergency Alerts updates for iPhone 4S and 5, so you won’t be the last folks to know if the entire northern hemisphere is about to be covered in ice à la Day After Tomorrow. You’ll receive a notification from the carrier when your update is ready, but only if you’re using iOS 6.1 or higher. Once installed, AMBER and Emergency alerts are automatically sent to your phone unless you...

If you find yourself at a loose end today, take a moment and have a quick look at your latest phone bill. Among the various taxes, surcharges, and fees that clog up the second page, you’ll find something called a “Universal Service Fund” contribution. This suspicious, well-disguised little levy was quietly introduced in the Telecommunications Act of 1996. And you’ll never guess what it’s for. Well, congratulations are in order: You’re paying someone else’s phone bill! Turns out that any American citizen who is on welfare, food stamps, or Medicaid — or whose income is less than 135 percent of...

The Indiana attorney general’s office confirmed Monday it is investigating a security breach in which Social Security numbers and other personal information were posted online for roughly 44,000 low-income Americans who applied for a federal program that provides discount Internet and phone service. The program was nicknamed the “Obamaphone” during the 2012 election, though it actually started long before President Obama took office. Indiana reportedly has the highest number of applicants, roughly 17,400, who were signed up by TerraCom Inc. and the affiliated YourTel America Inc. Applicants from at least 26 states were exposed to the security breach,

On Thursday, the Boston Herald reported that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) refused to answer questions about whether Boston terror suspects Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev had a government-paid cellphone because of privacy laws. The Herald reported Wednesday that “Tamerlan Tsarnaev, his wife and 3-year-old daughter collected welfare until 2012 and that both Tamerlan and Dzhokhar received benefits through their parents ‘for a limited portion’ of the time after they came to the U.S., which was around 2002.” The Lifeline phone subsidy program, referred to as the “Obama phone” program by its critics, charges paying cell phone customers an average monthly...

Who exactly do you represent? Gov. Deval Patrick dodges questions about how much welfare benefitsthe Chechen terrorists got from his state, citing their "privacy".- Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and his state agencies are refusing to release information on what government benefits Boston jihadist Tamerlan Tsarnaev received, following a national furor over reports he and his family received welfare. Their reason? It would violate the dead terrorist's right to privacy!That's right. Led by the stalwart Boston Herald, media entities pressed for info all day. Across the board, state agencies flatly refused to provide information about the taxpayer-funded lifestyle for the 26-year-old...