A Big Day For Lifeline

November 5, 2021 may be remembered as the day the U.S. House of Representatives passed the infrastructure bill. But it was also a big day for the Federal Communications Commission's Lifeline program—because of actions both the FCC and Congress took that day. The impact on the program will be evident for the next year—and perhaps many years to come. In an order adopted on November 5, the FCC's Wireline Competition Bureau paused a scheduled phaseout in Lifeline support for voice-only services and an increase in minimum service standards for mobile broadband data capacity. The phaseout and increase were planned in rules the FCC adopted in 2016. This month's move means nearly 800,000 Lifeline subscribers on voice-only plans (or plans that don't meet the FCC's minimum service standards for mobile broadband) will continue to get service until at least December 2022. In its order, the Wireline Competition Bureau said the pause gives the full FCC "time to evaluate whether [changed circumstances] warrant longer-term modifications of the Lifeline program." The "changed circumstances" include the COVID-19 pandemic, as one would imagine, as well as the FCC's own findings that “the removal of Lifeline support for voice-only services may push some Lifeline consumers into bundled plans that they are unable to afford.” The Wireline Competition Bureau also notes another major milestone for the Lifeline program: Congress' establishment of connectivity discount programs for low-income consumers.