Lifeline/Low-Income Consumers

On August 10, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai responded to letters from members of Congress who wrote to Chairman Pai regarding drastic cuts to the FCC's Lifeline program. In response, Chairman Pai wrote that the 2017 Lifeline Reform Order seeks to focus Lifeline support where it is most needed.

TracFone Wireless, a reseller active in the Federal Communications Commission's Lifeline program, filed an emergency petition with the FCC on August 10 raising concerns about the government’s new national verifier tool, meant to help ensure subscribers are who they say they are and avoid the waste, fraud and abuse that has plagued the program in the past. The Obama-era reform finally began rolling out on a preliminary basis in some states this summer.

A federal court has blocked the Federal Communications Commission from making changes to its Lifeline broadband subsidy program that would have effectively eliminated benefits for many Native Americans living on tribal lands. A three-judge panel of the DC Circuit Court of Appeals issued a stay of the FCC’s order, saying that it would likely cause significant loss of telecommunications service to tribal areas.

The Federal Communications Commission seeks comment on the Motion filed by TracFone Wireless, which seeks either a waiver from the minimum service standards rule or “a declaratory ruling that the rule as promulgated would enable TracFone to comply with the minimum service standards for Lifeline service by providing its Lifeline customers with a specified quantity of ‘units’ per month,” which have been updated to reflect the new minimum service standards that will take effect December 1, 2018. 

The Federal Communications Commission seeks comment on the Petition for Temporary Waiver filed by NTCA – The Rural Broadband Association (NTCA). NTCA, on behalf of its members and similarly situated operators, requests a temporary waiver from the Bureau’s updated Lifeline minimum service standards, “applicable to fixed, wireline broadband Internet access service . . . eligible for support by the Lifeline Universal Service Fund . . .

The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau updated minimum service standards levels for speed and usage allowances for Lifeline-supported services as required by the 2016 Lifeline Order including newly-calculated minimum service standards for fixed broadband. The FCC reminded providers of the updated minimum service standards for mobile broadband and mobile voice service. These standards will take effect on December 1, 2018.

As teachers increasingly integrate internet-based programs into both lesson plans and homework, the internet has become an essential tool for students. With such vast amounts of information available online—articles, videos, other imaginative mediums—children are able to do homework and develop interests not only with the help of, but also because of an internet connection. But while that tool can—and does—bring so much opportunity to students whose families can afford it, millions of American families are unable to buy internet at home.

The Federal Communications Commission is refusing to reverse a decision that will take a broadband subsidy away from many American Indians. Under FCC Chairman Ajit Pai's leadership, the FCC voted 3-2 in November 2017 to make it much harder for Tribal residents to obtain a $25-per-month Lifeline subsidy that reduces the cost of Internet or phone service. The changes could take effect as early as October 2018, depending on when they are approved by the US Office of Management and Budget (OMB). 

The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) issued a call for comments regarding AT&T Ohio’s application to discontinue its participation in the federal Lifeline program throughout the majority of its service territory. Comments are due Aug. 31, 2018. Lifeline is a federally funded program that provides monthly discounts to eligible consumers of landline, wireless or broadband services. Customers enrolled in their service provider’s Lifeline program receive a $9.25 monthly credit. On Sept.

[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.