A cellphone company run by a major Democratic donor and President Obama backer has extended its foray into government contracts, from the so-called “Obama phone” to a project intended to provide high-speed Internet access to low-income families — amid criticism its product is ill-equipped.
Critics also suggest TracFone Wireless CEO F.J. Pollak used his Obama connections to help his company get one of the 14 contracts.
At issue is a $13.8 million pilot project by the Federal Communications Commission that attempts to find the best ways to increase the broadband access rate among the poor and help improve their digital skills – to eventually help them manage household finances, look for work and do other tasks.
The Eternal Question: Which came first-the job or the cell phone?
This is a double-whammy. The program is, of course, ridiculous but compounding the issue by spending some of that $13.8 million on a product that may or may not even get the job done is…typical federal “help”.
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