FCC Commissioner Clyburn Pushes for Lifeline Modernization

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Federal Communications Commission member Mignon Clyburn said that the FCC’s Lifeline program should be expanded to cover broadband Internet access and reformed in other ways so that it helps everyone connect in the 21st century.

“If we fail to take the next step and provide a mechanism to ensure that broadband rates are affordable for low-income consumers as required by the statute, we risk investing billions of dollars building technology bridges to nowhere,” she said during a forum at the American Enterprise Institute. She called for the FCC to establish minimum service standards for any company that gets the subsidy, she said, and the approval process for those companies to participate should be streamlined. She called on the FCC -- not individual companies -- to be responsible for determining who is eligible for the program. Finally, she called for changes to make it easier for people to enroll in the program while signing up for other government benefits and called for non-governmental organizations to get involved.


FCC Commissioner Clyburn Pushes for Lifeline Modernization FCC Commissioner Clyburn Remarks before the American Enterprise Institute (Commissioner Clyburn)