Commissioner Gomez Statement on Lifeline Proceeding

Connectivity should be treated as an essential service, not used as a political tool. The biggest barrier to closing the digital divide today is affordability. We should be focused on making communications more affordable for families across the country to ensure that more people are connected and equipped with the tools they need to get a job, earn a living, receive an education, access healthcare, receive emergency services, and participate in civic life. Instead, this item proposes significant changes that will unnecessarily weaken the Lifeline program and undermine its ability to ensure affordable connectivity for consumers under the guise of preventing waste, fraud, and abuse. Now, when it comes to federal funds, I strongly support improving program integrity and holding providers and administrators accountable where fraud occurs, but not at the expense of those that Lifeline is intended to serve. I refuse to support measures that erect barriers to enrollment for eligible households in ways that the record has not demonstrated are necessary. This is especially troubling because $9.25 per month is not sufficient support to begin with. Rather than nickel and diming families, we should be discussing how to expand the program and provide greater support for affordability modeled after the success of the Affordable Connectivity Program. I welcome comment on ways that the Lifeline program can be strengthened and expanded to benefit consumers who need connectivity for telehealth, disability accommodations, emergency response, and more.