Tuesday, November 10, 2009
It's no secret that I've got a Google Alert out for Chris Lee. Most of the time what I get is just minor news stories he's mentioned in or commented on. But every so often one of those minor news stories turns out to be more interesting than you might think.
Today I got a news story out of Rochester, talking about the "Safelink Wireless" program that provides emergency cell phones for low income families. This is paid for out of the Universal Service Fund, which is administered with the goal of insuring that affordable, basic phone service is available to everyone, everywhere. This originally grew out of the goals laid down in the Communications Act of 1934.
Anyway, the point of the article is that most people had no idea that the USF fees on their cell phone and landline bills were going to help pay for underprivleged families to have emergency lines and 68 minutes of airtime a month. It's fairly boring until Lee pokes his head in:
It launched earlier this year in New York through Tracfone, a prepaid cell phone provider. Congressman Chris Lee says the program is being paid for the wrong way.
"Adding a tax that's hidden on to users of cell phones I don't think is the right approach. Unfortunately there is this view in Washington wherever we can try to tax you we will," said Representative Lee.
Never mind the fact that the Universal Service Fund was finally codified in 1996 by a Republican congress. And never mind the fact that the fee (which is about a dollar per line of service) is listed right there on the bill for anyone to look at, and most bills also offer an explanation: hardly a "hidden tax."
Lee says the program shouldn't be run by phone companies, but by the federal government in order to avoid abuse.
Wait a minute Chris, I'm confused. I thought the government couldn't run anything right? You're previously on the record as saying that "Private industry, with its drive to control costs and seek efficiencies, will always do a better job" than government. And yet all of a sudden, government is the answer when it comes to a different problem?
What, we're supposed to assume that the mobile phone companies are greedy and create a potential for fraud, but the insurance industry--where even the slightest bit of corner cutting or greed costs lives--is pure as the driven snow?
Or is it that the government is qualified to handle national defense, nuclear weaponry, and emergency cell phones, but magically incapable of handling a volunteer health insurance program?
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