washington top u.s. senate republican say thursday congress consider end three-decade old federal subsidy telephone internet access low-income americans government audit find significant fraud senator ron johnson chair homeland security government affairs committee say hear congress consider end program know lifeline spend 1.5 billion annually help 12.3 million u.s. households afford landline mobile phone lifeline program plague waste fraud abuse johnson say real head shaker senator claire mccaskill top democrat panel say combination ineffective oversight greed private carriers lead hundreds millions waste taxpayer dollars question federal communications commission manage program unable halt fraud continue pay fund company defraud program government accountability office audit year find significant fraud program investigators could confirm whether 1.2 million individuals sample actually qualify also could confirm many 12.3 million participants enrol receive phone undercover investigators could typically enroll without proper credentials report find program place since 1985 give participants 9.25 monthly mobile phone subsidy 2016 fcc expand program include broadband internet access program fund universal service fee pay telecommunications providers typically add monthly bill fcc chairman ajit pai say commission take step crack fraud top priority pai say senator gary peters democrat say anger scammers endanger program provide vital service people struggle afford phone internet service fcc estimate 95 percent u.s. households incomes least 150,000 access high-speed internet less half households incomes low 25,000 internet access home gao report find third nearly 39 million eligible u.s. households enrol program since 1998 20.2 billion allocate lifeline program senators criticize fraud u.s. low-income phone program