FCC must keep Puerto Ricans connected to Lifeline this storm season

[Commentary]  As we get deeper into hurricane season, Washington should be doing what it can to keep [the Lifeline program] in place. When people on the island prepare for this year’s storms and amass their 10 days of supplies, they should have the comfort of knowing that the Federal Communications Commission is not undermining the program they use to stay connected. But that’s not what’s happening. Instead, the agency has announced plans to gut the Lifeline program by as much as 70 percent of participants. To justify such a drastic cut, the FCC says it wants to prevent program waste. But the agency needs to find a way to mend this program without cutting off so many who rely on it. That means carriers that fail to follow program rules should be fined and kicked out. It does not mean the FCC should decimate this program from front to back. Puerto Rico is simultaneously rebuilding from the destruction of last year’s storm and preparing for wind and rain ahead. This is not easy to do. But the FCC should not make this harder by dismantling the Lifeline program and disconnecting the people of Puerto Rico.