Lifeline/Low-Income Consumers

The Federal Communications Commission has extended the deadline for public comments in its Lifeline proceeding. Comments now due January 17, 2018; reply comments due February 21, 2018.

Since Chairman Ajit Pai took over the leadership of the Federal Communications Commission, he has emphasized that one of his main goals has been to “close the digital divide and bring the benefits of the Internet age to all Americans.” So it comes as no surprise that the FCC has taken several measures recently to overhaul the Lifeline program under the tagline “Bridging the Digital Divide for Low-Income Consumers.” The November changes to the Lifeline Program were mainly cutbacks; reducing available subsidies, as well as limiting eligible participants and carriers.

For many low-income Americans, internet connectivity is a struggle. About half (53%) of those in households with annual incomes under $30,000 have a home broadband internet subscription plan, compared with 93% of households whose annual incomes exceed $75,000. This makes closing connectivity gaps a priority for policymakers, the non-profit sector, and many internet service providers (ISPs). What is perhaps less appreciated is the variety of models that have arisen to try to reach those without broadband at home. The population of non-home broadband users is not monolithic.

Under changes the Federal Communications Commission recently proposed, fewer people may receive subsidized broadband service under the Lifeline program. Those left out will struggle to do online tasks such as filling out a job application, or paying bills online. About 12.5 million low-income people across the country, and thousands in Ohio, could be affected.There are even health implications, since so much of today's medicine relies on patients having the ability to make appointments, refill prescriptions and view test results online.

January 20 marks the one-year anniversary of Donald Trump’s inauguration. With little indication of what his communications policy plans were before the election, now seems a good time to reflect on what his Administration’s priorities have been over the past 12 months. Here’s a look at what Trump's Federal Communications Commission decided to tackle first in 2017.

The Federal Communications Commission announced it has settled its investigations of five providers that received improper payments from the Lifeline program. Noting that the companies have already repaid the program for improper payments, the FCC found that the public interest would be served by adopting the Consent Decrees, which resolve the Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeitures issued to the companies. As part of each settlement, the companies have agreed to make additional payments to the U.S.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai asked the Universal Service Administrative Company Board of Directors to redouble its efforts at oversight -- specifically in the areas of information technology and security. He said USAC's technology problems are why the FCC does not have a fully functional E-Rate Productivity Center or a Lifeline National Verifier.

Sen Claire McCaskill (D-MO), ranking mbmer of the Homeland and Government Affairs Committee, is one of the biggest critics of the Federal Communications Commission's Lifeline program. In a letter to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai -- who shares her concerns about waste, fraud and abuse in the program -- Sen McCaskill demanded answers for why almost $90 million in fines against Lifeline providers who profited from rule violations had yet to be collected. "Between September 2013 and February 2014, the FCC proposed more than $94 million in fines to 12 Lifeline providers for enrolling ineligible subscrib

The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau announces that the launch of the National Lifeline Eligibility Verifier (National Verifier), originally scheduled for six initial states in December 2017, will be postponed until early 2018. Recently, as the development of the National Verifier has progressed, USAC advised the Bureau that the National Verifier’s systems have unresolved potential vulnerabilities that have not yet been completed under the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 (FISMA). If the National Verifier is launched before its underlying sy

The Federal Communications Commission’s Wireline Competition Bureau announced that the launch of the Lifeline National Verifier would be delayed until early 2018 due to ongoing work by the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) to ensure Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) compliance. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said, "“The Lifeline program is an important tool for closing the digital divide but for too long, it’s plagued by waste, fraud, and abuse.