FCC Announces Initial Six-State Launch of Lifeline National Verifier

The Federal Communications Commission announced that the National Lifeline Eligibility Verifier database (National Verifier) is now operational in Colorado, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. 

The Commission established the National Verifier in the 2016 Lifeline Order to make eligibility determinations and perform a variety of other functions necessary to enroll subscribers into the Lifeline program. The National Verifier has been designed to verify Lifeline subscriber eligibility, conduct checks to prevent duplicate benefits, recertify subscriber eligibility, and calculate support payments to eligible telecommunications carriers (ETCs). As of June 18, 2018, ETCs in these six states can begin using the National Verifier to verify the eligibility of consumers applying for Lifeline service. The National Verifier’s launch June 18 is a soft launch, which means that ETCs may begin using the National Verifier for eligibility determinations but may also continue to use existing eligibility determination processes. This soft launch period will allow ETCs to become familiar with the National Verifier online portal before use of the National Verifier becomes mandatory. If an ETC uses existing eligibility processes to determine a subscriber’s eligibility.