FCC Extends Pause of Lifeline Phase-Out and Mobile Data Increase

The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) extended, for an additional year, the waiver pausing both the phase-out of Lifeline support for voice-only services and the increase in Lifeline minimum service standards for mobile broadband data capacity. Without this decision, support for services that meet only the voice minimum service standard, which currently stands at $5.25 per month, would be eliminated in most areas on December 1, 2023. Additionally, the minimum service standard for mobile broadband data capacity would rise from 4.5 GB to 20 GB per month beginning December 1, 2023. The bureau found good cause to extend this pause for an additional year to understand the impact of the  Affordable Connectivity Program on Lifeline subscribers’ use of their Lifeline benefit. Additionally, this pause will give the FCC the opportunity to fully consider the results of the inaugural ACP transparency data collection and the recommendations presented in the Future of USF Report. This pause will extend until December 1, 2024.