Do Americans have a Civil Right to own a cell phone?
I just heard this question posed on FNC.
I can't WAIT to hear the details and why THIS is being asked.
I'll preface this thing with this:
*I* have a RIGHT to own, operate, buy, or sell or pay for ANYTHING I like. Period.
This is where the rubber meets the road folks.
Either we stand up and tell the government and whomever is pushing idiotic questions like this to shut the hell up, or you might just as well sign yourselves up as indentured servants or slaves for the rest of your lives.
Libertatem Prius!
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Re: Do Americans have a Civil Right to own a cell phone?
AH... I see where this is going now. LOL!
The LEFT is pushing it, because if they participate in programs like:
. Medicaid
. Food Stamps/SNAP
. Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
. Federal Public Housing Assistance (FPHA) or Section 8
. Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
. National School Lunch Program’s Free Lunch Program
then you have a RIGHT to have a phone.
LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
God
Yes, I have a right to own and use a cell phone. It's my CIVIL RIGHT to be able to do so. For the GOVERNMENT to hand me one? HELL NO.
Libertatem Prius!
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Re: Do Americans have a Civil Right to own a cell phone?
(Trying to track this shit down, give me some time).Recently, a federal government program called the Universal Service Fund came to New Jersey and some residents are thrilled because it means they can enjoy 250 minutes a month and a handset for free, just because they don't have the money to pay for it. Through Assurance Wireless and SafeLink from Tracfone Wireless these folks get to reach out and touch someone while the cost of their service is paid for by everyone else. You see, the telecommunications companies are funding the Universal Service Fund to the tune of $4 billion a year because the feds said they have to and in order to recoup their money, the companies turn around and hike their fees to paying customers. But those of use paying for the free service for the poor, should be happy about this infuriating situation, says Gary Carter, manager of national partnerships for Assurance, because "the program is about peace of mind." Free cell service means "one less bill that someone has to pay, so they can pay their rent or for day care...it is a right to have peace of mind," Cater explained.
Libertatem Prius!
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Re: Do Americans have a Civil Right to own a cell phone?
http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/capito...#ixzz1TrgxELho
GOT IT!
Free cell phones are now a civil right
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8:30 AM, August 1, 2011 ι Abby W. Schachter Pennsylvanians on public assistance now have a new 'civil right' -- free cell phones. Meanwhile, the rest of us get to pay higher cell bills as a result.
Recently, a federal government program called the Universal Service Fund came to the Keystone State and some residents are thrilled because it means they can enjoy 250 minutes a month and a handset for free, just because they don't have the money to pay for it. Through Assurance Wireless and SafeLink from Tracfone Wireless these folks get to reach out and touch someone while the cost of their service is paid for by everyone else. You see, the telecommunications companies are funding the Universal Service Fund to the tune of $4 billion a year because the feds said they have to and in order to recoup their money, the companies turn around and hike their fees to paying customers. But those of use paying for the free service for the poor, should be happy about this infuriating situation, says Gary Carter, manager of national partnerships for Assurance, because "the program is about peace of mind." Free cell service means "one less bill that someone has to pay, so they can pay their rent or for day care...it is a right to have peace of mind," Cater explained.
Well, the telecommunications companies don't seem to love providing this 'right' to poor folks because they are trying to renegotiate the deal with the FCC. The telecommunications companies like Verizon and AT&T want more paying customers, but their desire to reform their deal with the feds dovetails nicely with the political ideology of the current FCC chairman Julian Genachowski, who like all Obama administration flunkies sees 'rights' where others see 'priviledges'. Just listen to how the agency put the question of providing broadband and cell service to those in rural and poor communities. "The goal of reform is to provide everyone with affordable voice and broadband," the agency said.
Between 14 million and 24 million Americans lack access to broadband, "and immediate prospects for deployment to them are bleak," the FCC said in a report last year. "Many of these Americans are poor or live in rural areas that will remain unserved without reform of the universal service program and other changes," the report said.
But who says that cheap or free broadband is anything more than a luxury?
Well, another Obama flunkie, Rahm Emanuel, that's who. As we reported in June , the new mayor of Chicago was all excited to proclaim the wonderful news of free internet service to poor kids in Chicago's worst neighborhoods. And how could Mayor Emanuel pay for this new 'civil right'? Well, because the federal government extorted the money from Comcast when it wanted to buy NBC-Universal. Once again FCC chairman Genachowski was all about "helping the kids" by forcing the internet provider to give poor kids free netbooks, laptops, and internet service, indefinitely. And who is going to pay for this gift? Well, of course the rest of us poor saps who actually pay our bills.
Libertatem Prius!
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Re: Do Americans have a Civil Right to own a cell phone?
Free cell phones for the needy drawing both cheers and jeers
By Rachel Weaver, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Monday, August 1, 2011
Read more: Free cell phones for the needy drawing both cheers and jeers - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pitt...#ixzz1TzH8hJlg
Sharron Walters could not afford one more monthly bill.
But without a phone, it would be difficult for Walters, who relies on a wheelchair, to secure rides to and from her daily errands. She also could not keep in touch with her son, who lives out of town.
Three months ago, Walters, 48, of Swissvale started using Assurance Wireless, a program of Sprint subsidiary Virgin Mobile that provides free cell phones and 250 monthly minutes to people receiving government support such as Medicaid or food stamps.
"The service they provide is just truly a blessing," she said.
In Pennsylvania, two programs offer free cell service: Assurance Wireless and SafeLink from Tracfone Wireless, which specializes in "no-contract" cellular service. The federal Universal Service Fund, which all telecommunications providers support as required by federal law, pays for the programs.
Amy Storey, a spokeswoman for CTIA - The Wireless Association in Washington, said all U.S. wireless carriers charge consumers a fee to recover the cost of their contribution to the fund, which varies quarterly as determined by the Federal Communications Commission.
Assurance Wireless, which is in 26 states and Washington, D.C., started in Pennsylvania in February and is now being publicized in newspaper, TV and radio ads. The company reports more than 5.5 million people could qualify for the program in Pennsylvania. Gary Carter, manager of national partnerships for Assurance, was not able to provide the exact number of people who have signed up.
SafeLink, which has been available to Pennsylvanians for three years, is in 39 states. Spokesman Jose Fuentes could not provide an exact number of users in Pennsylvania, but said there are more than 2 million nationwide.
"The program is about peace of mind," Carter said. "It's one less bill that someone has to pay, so they can pay their rent or for day care. ... It is a right to have peace of mind."
Critics of the program say free cell service is no right, particularly in an unstable economic climate.
Robert Rector, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington, said that with $910 billion of the national budget slated for low-income assistance, he finds free cell phone programs "particularly wasteful and unnecessary."
"Our society cannot afford to give free everything to everybody," he said. "Most poor people already had adequate telephone service and will continue to do so."
George Loewenstein, economics and psychology professor at Carnegie Mellon University, said phone companies could lose money from the programs if customers seek free service when they otherwise might have found a way to pay for it. However, he said, the programs likely benefit the overall economy as having a phone can help people find jobs.
"We've hit a tipping point," he said. "It used to be that a public phone was on every corner. As cell phones become more prevalent, public phones are gradually disappearing."
Assurance and SafeLink get $10 per subscriber monthly from the Universal Service Fund, which covers the cost of 250 minutes, said Carter. The companies pay for the phones, which Carter describes as "very simplistic models, not smartphones." The primary handset for Assurance users is the Kyocera Jax, which retails for about $10. That model does not have a camera, MP3 player or Bluetooth capability.
Assurance pays for its advertising. Agreements run for one year; every 12 months, customers must provide proof of income. The eventual goal, Carter said, is to retain them as paying customers.
Roberta Lebedda, 37, of Lincoln Place said she researched the Assurance program after seeing print advertisements and was disappointed to discover she was not eligible for a free phone, even though she helps fund the program through her phone bill.
"It's a nicety, not a necessity," she said. "Everybody wants a cell phone, but we don't need it to live."
Libertatem Prius!
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Re: Do Americans have a Civil Right to own a cell phone?
Having a cell phone is not a right, its a privilege, same with a land line. Only those who can afford it can get one. These fucking liberals are ruining everything and making us pay for it.
Re: Do Americans have a Civil Right to own a cell phone?
Excellent point, nothing is free. The thing that really upsets me is not the free cellphone but that they call it a civil right. It's a stepping stone to move on to bigger things, a car or a house could be a civil right according to this logic. I think a having beautiful girlfriend should be a civil right, otherwise my confidence would be shattered if I was seen in public with an ugly girl.Originally Posted by michael2
One more thing and then I'll shut up. How did they determine 250 minutes a month of airtime? If they were given only 200 minutes would that be a violation of someone's civil rights? I've heard liberals say that access to the internet is a civil right, will these cell phones have internet access with a data plan as well? What about texting? Does it have a camera? Every cell out there nowadays has a camera. How many megapixels does the Bill of Rights require?
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