More States Launch Lifeline National Verifier

The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) announces that effective January 15, 2019, the National Lifeline Eligibility Verifier (National Verifier) will fully launch in five states – Hawaii, Idaho, New Hampshire, North Dakota, and South Dakota – and one territory – Guam. Starting on January 15, 2019, Eligible Telecommunications Carriers (ETCs) in these five states and one territory will be required to use the National Verifier to make eligibility determinations for all consumers applying for Lifeline service and must cease using legacy eligibility processes for prospective Lifeline subscribers. In addition, on that same day, consumers can begin to check their eligibility for Lifeline service directly by using the National Verifier consumer portal available at CheckLifeline.org. The consumer portal is available in both English and Spanish language versions. Finally, consumers, as well as service providers, will be able to mail Lifeline program forms and documentation to USAC for manual review.

The FCC established the National Verifier in the 2016 Lifeline Order to make eligibility determinations and perform a variety of other functions necessary to enroll subscribers in the Lifeline program.1