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The article discusses the Lifeline program, a U.S. federally funded domestic assistance program which provides low-income individuals with monies to purchase wireless phone services. Particular focus is given to efforts by the Federal Communications Commission to expand regulations of the program in order to require wireless providers to seek verification from subscribers regarding their eligibility for Lifeline funds.

The article discusses wireless-service-provider Sprint Nextel Corp.'s participation in a U.S. federal program that pays it a subsidy in exchange for offering discounted or no-cost cell-phone plans to people who meet government poverty guidelines. Sprint earns a small profit on the basic plans, and additional profits when customers need to buy minutes that exceed the plans' monthly limits.

The article reports on the plan of Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) to create a $500 million credit line to help Latin American nations limit the effects of rising food prices. The loans will be utilized to aid the poor in paying for food and the government in increasing agricultural productivity. Meanwhile, the Mexican government announced that is would raise cash subsidies to approximately 26 million poor residents to offset higher costs.