A Lifeline Argument Not Rooted in Reality

[Commentary] The Federal Communications Commission is now modernizing its Lifeline program, originally designed to connect low-income Americans to the telephone network. The reform now underway would broaden the program to cover high-speed Internet service. That change is urgently needed. Only 36 percent of individuals with incomes below $10,000 have access to broadband, even though broadband is the bridge to success in today’s economy. Lifeline is unique in that service providers, and not the government, today determine whether consumers qualify for and remain in the program. That means service providers maintain an incentive to qualify as many subscribers as possible, which can lead to waste and misallocation of program resources.

That’s why my organization, the Internet Innovation Alliance (IIA), has joined FCC commissioner Mignon Clyburn and many others in calling for fundamental reform of the Lifeline program. We seek to enhance consumer choice, expand the number of carriers willing to offer Lifeline-supported services and promote greater financial accountability to ward off waste, fraud and abuse. To enhance accountability, IIA supports having states, not self-interested companies, determine who is eligible to receive Lifeline service. A state agency determination that an individual is eligible for other federal benefit programs, such as food stamps, would automatically qualify that person in the Lifeline program.

[Rick Boucher was a member of the US House for 28 years (D-VA) and is honorary chair of the Internet Innovation Alliance (IIA). He is a partner in the Washington office of law firm Sidley Austin]