Celebrating National Lifeline Awareness Week in Washington and California

[Commentary] This week, civil rights groups joined with public interest and media reform organizations to highlight the importance of Lifeline – the Universal Service Fund program that supports telephone service for low-income consumers. To celebrate National Lifeline Awareness Week (September 9-15, 2013), Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Mignon Clyburn, California Public Utility Commissioner Catherine Sandoval and low-income consumer advocates made the case for strengthening and modernizing Lifeline. The week is designed to both raise awareness of and participation in Lifeline a federal/State program that helps make telephone service more affordable for qualified customers. The program became the focus of partisan gamesmanship during the 2012 election cycle and detractors often refer to as “Obama Phones.” At a New America Foundation event, Chairman Clyburn said she aimed to “set the record straight.”