FCC begins tracking ‘Obama Phone’ use

Published December 19, 2013 3:24pm ET



THE HILL – The Federal Communications Commission this week began to compile a database of subscribers to its phone subsidy program.

The database is intended to help the commission crack down on waste and fraud in the $1.85 billion program for the poor, called Lifeline.

Mark Wigfield, an FCC spokesman, told The Hill that the agency began collecting data on Monday on Lifeline subscribers in five states: Arkansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Oklahoma and Washington. The agency plans to expand the database to include information on all subscribers nationwide by the end of March, Wigfield said.

Read more at The Hill.