As part of an ongoing effort to stop waste in a government-run cell phone program, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill is requesting detailed information on the program’s contracts.
In a letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), McCaskill, Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Contracting Oversight, wrote that the proper management and oversight of contracts related to the Lifeline program may provide additional opportunities to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse. In order to better assist the Subcommittee in their efforts, McCaskill asked the FCC to provide the Subcommittee with documents related to the agreement between the FCC and the companies responsible for managing Lifeline and the number, value and scope of contracts.
McCaskill urged the FCC late last year to provide stronger oversight of the little-scrutinized federal program after she received a solicitation at her home for a free cell phone from the Lifeline program. The mailer did not require documentation for proof of eligibility. McCaskill is, in fact, not eligible for the program.
Following those demands, last month the FCC issued new orders to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse in the program.
The Lifeline program is funded by the Universal Service Fund (USF), which receives its resources from a fee telephone users pay on their phone bills. The FCC oversees the USF and, accordingly, the Lifeline program.
Read a full copy of McCaskill’s letter at the Subcommittee on Contracting Oversight’s website, HERE.
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