What Did the FCC Just Do to California?

On November 20, the Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau released its decision to change how the Lifeline program is run in California. Specifically, the FCC decided to remove California's special permission to use its own Lifeline eligibility verification system instead of the federal system (the National Lifeline Accountability Database and  Lifeline National Eligibility Verifier). Starting February 1, 2026, California will lose its special permission to check eligibility for federal Lifeline applications using its own state system. Instead:

• All California residents applying for federal Lifeline benefits must use the federal "National Verifier" system
• Phone and internet companies in California must switch to federal processes for enrolling customers in Lifeline
• The federal system will handle checking whether people qualify and preventing duplicate benefits