Phones for the Impoverished

By Virginia Prescott on Thursday, June 18, 2009.

The U.S. government now owns big shares in the auto industry, and is floating capital for banks. Health care may be the next item on the list, but subsidizing cell phone service for the poor?

While that may sound like the rallying cry for a right-wing talk show, it turns out that the feds have been subsidizing landline phones for welfare recipients for decades. Now advocates and wireless carriers want funding to get wireless phones to a needy and largely untapped market. Matt Richtel is a technology reporter for The New York Times and he’s been following the story.

The New York Times: Providing Cell Phones for the Poor

(Photo by JonJon2k8 via Flickr/Creative Commons)

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Not such a bad thing, I think. This program helped a lot of people before and I'm sure will help a lot more now with the use of cell phones.
It really is a tough time for many Americans at the moment and 'the needy' might very well be some of the hardworking people out there down on their luck and just needing a break to get back on their feet.
Of course all welfare programs are susceptible to abuse but you can't use that as an excuse not to do anything. Kudos to Tracfone who works with the program.

Submitted by Dave B on Thu, 06/25/2009 - 17:18.

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Word of Mouth is all about what's new. Online and on-air, the show looks at our fascinating and ever-changing world, and puts the latest ideas under a microscope. Word of Mouth investigates everything from science and technology, to health and the environment, to new trends in popular culture. The show airs Monday through Thursday at noon and is hosted by Virginia Prescott.