{"id":13857,"date":"2013-12-05T04:14:00","date_gmt":"2013-12-05T04:14:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/articles\/obama-phones-or-gipper-phones-whats-in-a-name\/"},"modified":"2013-12-05T04:14:00","modified_gmt":"2013-12-05T04:14:00","slug":"obama-phone-o-gipper-phone-kung-ano-ang-pangalan","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/tl\/articles\/obama-phones-or-gipper-phones-whats-in-a-name\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cObama-Phones\u201d o \u201cGipper-Phones\u201d \u2014 Ano ang nasa isang Pangalan?"},"template":"","class_list":["post-13857","article","type-article","status-publish","hentry","article_type-blog-post"],"acf":{"details":{"summary":"","featured_image":null,"article_type":1103,"authors":["{\"site_id\":\"1\",\"post_type\":\"person\",\"post_id\":7865}"],"related_issues":false,"related_work":false,"location":null},"sidebar":{"helper_enable_sidebar":false,"helper_media_contact":{"heading":"Media Contact","manually_enter_person":false,"person":null,"name":"","role":"","phone":"","email":""},"helper_links_downloads":{"heading":"Links & Downloads","links":null}},"page_layout":[{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_wysiwyg","_acfe_flexible_toggle":null,"component_wysiwyg":{"content":"
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It's a sad commentary on the state of our public discourse that clever misnaming of issues can totally recast what should be substantive policy discussions. The most obvious example: adding the suffix \"gate\" onto anything that smacks of real or alleged political wrong-doing in the wake of Richard Nixon's Watergate is usually sufficient to muddy the waters beyond all reality; often it demolishes any chance for serious debate. Remember Billygate, NannyGate, CoinGate, CableGate and all the rest?<\/p>

The latest example is the current Lifeline program that provides basic prepaid cell phone subsidies to low-income citizens. I knew its opponents were out to kill serious discussion (and the program, too) when they came up with the cute idea of calling the issue \"Obama Phones.\" As a supporter of the program, I think it would be more realistic to call them \"Gipper Phones\" since the program started in the Reagan years, or even \"Bushie Phones\" because that's when the Lifeline program made room for wireless services. Tempted as I am, I think that would only further distract us from looking at the program on its merits.<\/p>

Connecting low-income consumers is a central pillar of our telecommunications law. All our people need access to the wonders of communications\" and I always underline that word \"all.\" America can no longer afford to have digital divides between haves and have-nots. Until each and every citizen of this great country is connected\" be they urban or rural, rich or poor, living on tribal lands or in distressed inner cities, whether they be members of our disabilities communities\" our work is unfinished.<\/p>

Let's be clear at the outset: Lifeline is a necessary and mandated program that has accomplished many good things. It has not been without problems and has come in for its share of criticism\" some merited, some not. I believe the merited criticisms are being addressed. As for those critics who are just out to kill another program providing assistance to low-income consumers\" well, there's no satisfying them. It is also striking that so many of those critics out to eliminate Lifeline are the same people who continue to support tax subsidies and wheelbarrows full of other giveaways for the affluent even as they battle to shrink programs that are helping the rest of us. It's not just Lifeline that these critics are going after\" it's dozens of other programs, too, like unemployment benefits and food stamps for the needy and down-on-their-luck.<\/p>

Two weeks ago, the U.S. House of Representatives held a hearing, \"The Lifeline Fund: Money Well Spent?\" It is impossible to read the testimony from that hearing and deny that the program is contributing importantly to the central goal of the Telecommunications Act: to bring affordable and advanced telecommunications services to every American. More than ever our success as individuals, and as a nation, depends upon everyone being connected to the communications infrastructure of the Twenty-first century. Indeed, it is not going too far to equate such access with a civil right, because the doors of opportunity are closed and locked for those without it.<\/p>

Ang red-lining na mga mamamayang mababa ang kita sa pamamagitan ng pagkakait sa kanila ng access sa mga kinakailangang serbisyo ng telekomunikasyon ay bubuo ng isang malinaw-at-kasalukuyang pampublikong panganib pati na rin ang isang tahasang pagtanggi sa pantay na pagkakataon sa Panahon ng Internet.<\/p>

Lifeline is providing no-frills telephone service (no smart phones funded here!) for $9.25 per month, per subscriber, one-to-a-household, to some 15 million low-income people. Given the current high jobless rate and a still-anemic economic recovery, the number of eligible participants should actually be higher. Outreach needs to be enhanced. Success is not pruning the rolls of legitimate subscribers\" it is helping those who truly need help. And that's millions of people.<\/p>

Lifeline originally applied, back in the Reagan years, to plain old wireline telephone service\" service that is rapidly losing customers as consumers turn to wireless and broadband technologies. Cell phones have become a part of our daily lives. Who among us can imagine a week or a day without it, let alone having no access to it ever? Pilot programs are beginning for the inclusion of broadband in Lifeline\" an essential step forward. Most jobs today are found through online searches; public safety is enhanced through everyone being part of the grid; education cannot be done offline; and the list goes on.<\/p>

Iminumungkahi ko na ang sinumang nagdududa sa Lifeline sa mga mambabasa ay tingnan ang ilan sa maraming mga testimonial na ipinakita sa panahon ng pagdinig sa Kongreso. Si Jessica Gonzalez ng National Hispanic and Media Coalition ay gumawa ng puno ng katotohanan at partikular na nakakaganyak na pahayag<\/a>. Read that and you will understand how vital Lifeline is for millions of Americans who were caught, through no fault of their own, in the economy's awful downward spiral. How does denial of no-frills Lifeline service help them, or the country? How does denial help the unemployed worker looking each morning for a job so she or he has a shot at putting some groceries on the family table that night? How does denial help the suddenly-ill or injured child whose parents don't have the ability to call 911 for help? How does denial help the working parent trying to check in with their child after school to make sure she is safe and well? As Ms. Gonzalez said, Nakakatulong ang Lifeline sa mga totoong tao<\/em><\/strong>. Bagama't malayo sa pagdadala ng uri ng mga serbisyo at aplikasyon na tinatamasa ng karamihan sa mga nagbabasa ng pahinang ito, ang Lifeline ay nagbibigay ng kung ano ang maaari lamang tingnan bilang isang hubad na pangangailangan para sa mga nangangailangan.<\/p>

It's no secret that the original program lacked the controls it needed. There was waste and almost certainly fraud on the part of a few at the expense of the many. But the increasing numbers using Lifeline came more from the deep recession we were plunged into than from overt abuse or wrong-doing. There is plenty of blame to go around, to be sure, and lax policy guidelines and enforcement at the Federal Communications Commission<\/a> dapat balikatin ang malaking bahagi ng pasanin. Ang mga pagkakataon para sa pang-aabuso ay malinaw na dumami sa kinakailangang pagsasama ng wireless sa nakaraang FCC. Ang kasalukuyang Komisyon, sa kredito nito, ay natanto ang pangangailangan para sa pagwawasto ng reporma sa programa at pagkilos sa pagpapatupad. Noong 2011 nagsimula ito ng proseso upang suriin kung may duplikasyon at hindi karapat-dapat na mga user. Nagpatuloy ito sa pagpapatibay ng mga bagong kinakailangan sa pagiging karapat-dapat at sertipikasyon at iba pang mga pananggalang upang gamutin ang mga problemang lumitaw. Ang mga panloob na kontrol, makabuluhang pinahusay na pagsubaybay, at mga bagong data base ay nasa lugar at pinapahusay habang binabasa mo ito. Nagkakaroon na ng positibong epekto ang mga repormang ito. Bumaba ang paggasta, at ang FCC ay nagtataya ng matitipid na $2 bilyon sa pagtatapos ng 2014. Mahigit sa isang milyong duplicate na subscription ang natukoy at inalis. Maraming karagdagang subscriber ang idineklara na hindi karapat-dapat para sa pakikilahok sa programa dahil hindi sila tumugon sa mga query na humihiling ng sertipikasyon ng kanilang pagiging karapat-dapat.<\/p>

Unfortunately, some of those who were decertified may indeed be entirely eligible. They may never have received the certification forms because they are transient, don't have a regular mailing address, or lack the literacy required to fill out a detailed government form. There is a lesson here: Ang pagbabantay sa regulasyon ay dapat palaging may kasamang pag-iwas sa mga hindi inaasahang negatibong kahihinatnan<\/em><\/strong>. Ang mga pagwawasto sa kalagitnaan ng kurso ay hindi lamang nagpapahiwatig ng mas mahihigpit na mga kinakailangan; minsan ito ay higit na isang bagay ng mas matalinong mga.<\/p>

On balance, the new reforms seem to be working. We need to let these reforms do their work before rushing to judgment about further significant changes. If it develops\" as indeed it might\" that additional or different proofs of eligibility or other enforcement measures are needed, the Commission can, should, and must implement them. It will have the obligasyon<\/em><\/strong> to do so. Government programs need credibility to survive, and good implementation can mean the difference between public support and public opposition. Low-income citizens deserve a credible, well-run program just as much\" I would say more\" than those who rave and rant against every public assistance initiative. Let us also beware of robbing this needed program to pay for other programs, however meritorious those others may be. Lifeline stands on its own.<\/p>

\"Names will never hurt me,\" the old saying goes. Unfortunately that adage doesn't seem to apply in politics. After dollars, it's often the name that determines the game. The more ridiculous the label or outlandish the charge, the more attention it attracts. But when the game is serious public policy, it's time to expect more. We each have a role to play here, either by turning off our own labeling strategies or tuning out those who engage in them. And our media, about which I write so much in this space, has an obligation to discipline itself, too. It can do this by toning down sensation-seeking headlines, beefing up real reportage, and not looking for a \"gate\" in every issue.<\/p>

Lifeline wins on the merits\" it's not even close. We're on the way to making it better already, and I trust we are committed to doing whatever else may be necessary to fulfill the mandate of our telecommunications laws and our ongoing duty to serve the public interest. So let us rally \" round a program that can boast millions of success stories. Let's improve and expand it, fixing those things that may not be totally repaired yet and helping millions of fellow citizens who, thanks to Lifeline, have access to the communications ecosystem that every day performs a larger role in binding our country together.<\/p>

Ang post na ito ay orihinal na lumitaw sa blog ng Benton Foundation. Na-repost nang may pahintulot.<\/p>"}}]},"yoast_head":"\n“Obama-Phones” or “Gipper-Phones” — What’s in a Name? - Common Cause<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/tl\/mga-artikulo-2\/obama-phone-o-gipper-phone-kung-ano-ang-pangalan\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"“Obama-Phones” or “Gipper-Phones” — What’s in a Name?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/tl\/mga-artikulo-2\/obama-phone-o-gipper-phone-kung-ano-ang-pangalan\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Common Cause\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CommonCause\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/CC-Share-Graphic-Main9.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@CommonCause\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/articles\/obama-phones-or-gipper-phones-whats-in-a-name\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/articles\/obama-phones-or-gipper-phones-whats-in-a-name\/\",\"name\":\"“Obama-Phones” or “Gipper-Phones” — What’s in a Name? 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