How the Trump Administration is Narrowing the Path to Lifeline Part I: The One Big Beautiful Bill

The Federal Communications Commission’s Lifeline program provides a subsidy to qualifying low-income consumers to help them afford the monthly cost of phone and/or internet services. Lifeline’s goal is to ensure that low-income households have access to essential communication services for many aspects of modern life, including employment, education, and healthcare. The Universal Service Administrative Company, which administers Lifeline for the FCC, estimates that over 38.5 million households are eligible for Lifeline support. But in 2024, Lifeline enrollment was just 8.79 million. [That's an enrollment rate of 22 percent, which is lower than the 44 percent enrollment rate that the Affordable Connectivity Program achieved when it ended in 2024.] Although Lifeline isn’t reaching many of the households it was designed to help, recent policy changes championed by the Trump Administration may mean millions of people who currently qualify for Lifeline support will lose their eligibility.