Open Federal Communications Commission Meeting (Jan 2012)

Response from industry and the Hill was swift, and mixed, to the Federal Communications Commission's vote to reform the Lifeline low-income phone subsidies program and migrate it to broadband.

Acting to reform and modernize a program vital to ensuring affordable communications for low-income consumers, the Federal Communications Commission approved a comprehensive overhaul of its Lifeline program.

The Federal Communications Commission confirmed just the one item on the Jan 31 Open Meeting agenda. The FCC will consider a Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to comprehensively reform the Lifeline program to ensure universal availability of communications services to low-income Americans while minimizing the universal service contribution burden, including by eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse; strengthening program oversight and administration; and modernizing Lifeline to support broadband adoption.

A Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Lifeline and Link Up Reform and Modernization is the only item on the tentative agenda for the FCC's next open meeting scheduled for Tuesday, January 31, 2012.

Federal Communications Chairman Julius Genachowski outlined a draft proposal that would reform the commission’s Lifeline program to include provisions to encourage broadband adoption.