Lifeline Reform: Add a Hard Budget

Why is it so easy for some people in Washington (DC) to spend other people’s money? It is one thing to be careless with your own finances, but it is another for stewards of Americans’ tax dollars or other monies to seem oblivious to the impact of their actions on hard working consumers. The desire to spend seems to exceed any interest in doing so in a rational and responsible way. This is exactly the situation facing the Federal Communications Commission’s reform effort for the universal service fund (USF) Lifeline Program.

Failing a major change in direction, the FCC is preparing to massively expand the size and scope of the Lifeline Program without the necessary inclusion of a hard budget or financial constraints. Such irresponsible action will balloon a program plagued by waste, fraud, and abuse and result in higher phone bills for every American – including those already struggling in the current economy. In sum, it’s a recipe for disaster, and I can’t and won’t be part of it.