SafeLink, free cell phones for the poor?

The U.S. Gov't wants to give free cell phones to anyone who qualifies. Is it just me or do anyone else see any reason why they would do this? Very rarely do the government actually do something for the good of the american people, and I feel that there is alot more to this then they claim. How would they benefit? There is no profit to be made, they have no reason for doing this other then the genuine saftey or concern for it's people, which for me, makes me VERY suspicious. With the current economy, and ss going down the drain, why would they do this now? Do they hope to have every person is the ghettos and lower income communitys on a government phone to track and/or record them?

What are your thoughts on this?

SafeLink

Regards,
TheWatchers

reply to post by thewatchers42


Thats funny cause my girlfriend said she thought it was ecause the government was afraid they would not be able to track the homeless, therefore they would not be traceable.

She theorized that it was used so they could have a handle on the homeless too.

Look what I have done to my girlfriend.........

I think the Government is giving out the free phones to have an easier way to monitor the phones of people who sell drugs. If not only to listen to drug dealers, they could get the dealers "real" phone numbers. They could listen to the baby-momma's of drug dealers, who usually get food stamps or medicaid, and confirm the numbers of dealers when they call them for personal reasons. The dealers could use one of the safelink phones only to call in for a re-up. That would only require one or two calls a week or 2, or month. They would get the higher up dealer's number that way too. They could get the dealers number from the addicts who use their own safelink phone. I don't know how the police or FBI do things, but it sounds likely to me. The dealers or addicts think that since they don't have a contract with Safelink they won't have their info and it would be safe to make drug deals with the phone, but Someone had to apply and register with their SSN and other personal information. Also, I think thats why they market the Boost Mobile phones to drug dealers too. They have the GPS locatior in the phones so you can see where your friends are, and i'm sure the police can see where they're at too. LIke, If you are in an area with high drug activity or at the house of a knowb "big time" dealer. I think they sell Cricket phones for the same reason. They are cheap, and they only work in the inner cities. I don't know, its just something to think about. Tracking the poor sounds good too.

reply to post by jrocc16


This isn't just to track drug dealers. I saw the advertisement for this and my first thought was: they don't want ANYONE to have an excuse to not have a cell phone. Even if your cell phone is turned off, they have the technology to track you. They want everyone walking around with our own personal tracking device.


TheAssociate

My first thought when I saw the ad was this was another attempt to waste billions in taxpayer dollars. Any other negative effect it has on people is just a bonus for those in power.

I am so effing sick of the government "giving" things to people with other people's hard earned money! A cell phone is not a damn necessity! It is a LUXURY and if you cannot afford one that is just too bad!

Originally posted by TheAssociate
reply to post by jrocc16

 

This isn't just to track drug dealers. I saw the advertisement for this and my first thought was: they don't want ANYONE to have an excuse to not have a cell phone. Even if your cell phone is turned off, they have the technology to track you. They want everyone walking around with our own personal tracking device.TheAssociate

How very true, TheAssociate. I don't have one, don't talk on them, and consider them to be dangerous as they emit microwave radiation and can be easily tracked right to you. Some models hurt my ears when they are in use, and I have seen people give them to their kids to chew on the antenna. This plan, at taxpayer expense now, is so THEY can track everyone, even homeless and people so poor they can't afford one. So in your face they are sometimes.

Until someone takes apart one of these safelink phones and finds a gps device then I'll believe somethings up, but I think its fine. No one should be with out a cell phone. I'm actually happy this program is out there, never know when an accident might happen.

OP,

Here may be a twist on this too.

While, I can sometimes be the first to espouse some type of ulterior motive for things of this nature, there may be another side to it too.

It seems, that this targets primarily the section 8 crowd. Often these people have barely even enough money to LIVE, nevermind something as rudimentary as a phone line (cellular or otherwise). With the nation losing jobs left and right and ALREADY a somewhat high section 8 level, those at or below the poverty line will simply become more worse off, unless they can find a job (even those who were NOT section 8, may find themselves there if they cant find work quickly enough).

With the above in mind, I can't think of a single employer that will seriously consider anyone for employment if they can't provide a telephone number. Perhaps this is a way of giving them at least one more edge to actually think they can secure employment.

Again, just a thought.



AB1

This is another attempt from the Government to raise cancer in the brains thus selling more Chemo drugs to the patients. I dont have a cell phone because i chose not to, plus it makes me more mysterious I can afford one but i know the microwave radiation that affects the groin area. I will never use a cell phone.

As much as I question this at the request of my children and a few friends I did get one of these. I am disabled and use a cane and travel by bus 90% of the time, for me it is a safety thing. I really cannot afford a plan nor a phone and really don't want to be bothered everywhere I go so I have never had one. I will be dialing *67 to mask the number so if I do have to call family or friends they can't drive me nuts or waste my free 60 minutes.

I do have to say that it is a good idea for some people but as with every darn program to help the poor there are jerks that abuse it. I know 3 people already that have cells and had to get the free one, WHY???? Just because it is available and that pisses me off. Please know that every person who is poor is not a drug dealer, if you knew how stupid you sound with that tired rhetoric you would stop it. Many disabled people have these for safety since many can't afford a car and use public transportation at night and live in less that stellar areas.

I think it is great that the government is giving out cell [phones, No one has ever care d before whether we had phones before.I think it is great.

I actually went to look for the info on this and got it from their website.

LIFELINE/SAFELINK FACT SHEET
There is no "Obama phone" or other newly created federal program to provide free cell phones. As you may know, this is a myth that is now circulating on the Web via email and blog sites. It has been thoroughly debunked by independent groups. (See for example: FactCheck.org at www.factcheck.org... which notes: "Low-income households have been eligible for discounted telephone service for more than a decade. But the program is funded by telecom companies, not by taxes, and the president has nothing to do with it."
The federal "Lifeline" program was created during the Reagan Administration. Lifeline is a federal program created by the Reagan era Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 1984. The program was enhanced under Telecommunications Act of 1996, which was supported on a broadly bipartisan basis in Congress. The FCC’s Low Income Program of the Universal Service Fund, which is administered by the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC), is designed to ensure that quality telecommunications services are available to low-income customers at just, reasonable, and affordable rates. Lifeline support reduces eligible low-income consumers' monthly charges for basic telephone service.
Thanks to SafeLink, Lifeline support is now available for wireless phones. Traditionally, the Lifeline program was only available as a discount on a consumer’s landline telephone bill. SafeLink Wireless was created by TracFone Wireless, Inc. when the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently approved the company to offer Lifeline -- a public assistance program that ensures telephone service is available and affordable for low-income subscribers. SafeLink Wireless applies the Universal Service Fund subsidy to an allotment of free airtime minutes and TracFone provides the wireless handset at the company’s expense. Instead of receiving a subsidized monthly telephone bill for Lifeline service, SafeLink converts the total amount of discounted service into minutes each month for one year. The cell phone offers in-demand features: voicemail, text, three-way calling, call waiting, caller ID and access to 911.
SafeLink phones are not paid for by taxpayers or the federal government. TracFone Wireless pays for the phones and also the cost of promoting its SafeLink program to make sure that eligible consumers know about the program.