Chairman Cruz Requests FCC Review of Eligibility Rules for Lifeline Subsidies

In a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr, Senate Communications Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-TX) urged the Commission to investigate whether federal communication subsidies are being improperly extended to undocumented residents. Citing California’s new law, A.B. 1303, which expands the state’s Lifeline program to “individuals not lawfully present in the United States” and bars cooperation with federal immigration authorities, Sen Cruz argues that such policies violate federal law and misuse taxpayer funds. He requested information on the federal Lifeline program, including "A detailed explanation of the mechanisms by which the FCC and USAC verify that federal Lifeline benefits are not given to non-eligible individuals or households, particularly illegal aliens, including the schedule for and results of periodic forensic audits of the program. As part of this explanation, please review whether households headed by illegal aliens can receive federal Lifeline benefits through their U.S.-born children and whether there are any current safeguards against such abuse, such as a minimum age requirement."