No Lifeline for the Dead

On March 17, Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-CA) introduced the No Lifeline for the Dead Act (H.R. 7963). Rep. Obernolte says the legislation would strengthen oversight and accountability in the Federal Communications Commission’s Lifeline program. In January 2026, the FCC's Office of Inspector General reported that the Lifeline program had been systematically exploited through fraudulent enrollments of deceased individuals and duplicate subscriber claims. OIG concluded the problem is concentrated in three "opt-out" states (California, Texas, and Oregon), which the FCC permitted to run their own subscriber eligibility verification systems instead of using the Universal Service Administrative Company's federal National Verifier and National Lifeline Accountability Database. Because these state systems bypass USAC's death checks at the enrollment stage, they created a significant gap that bad actors—primarily providers and their sales agents—have exploited. The No Lifeline for the Dead Act would require, within 120 days, the FCC to adopt new rules for the Lifeline program that mandate that all states use federal verification systems. Within 180 days, every current Lifeline participant would have to recertify their eligibility if the initial check did not use the National Lifeline Eligibility Verifier and the National Lifeline Accountability Database. If that new check determines they are ineligible under the new program rules, they can no longer participate in Lifeline.