Lifeline/Low-Income Consumers

Connectivity in the Time of COVID

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the necessity of broadband became incontrovertible. Attending school, working from home, visiting a doctor, and accessing government services all relied on reliable broadband connections. For many, bridging the digital divide emerged as an even-more-urgent priority. We’ve tracked the stories that best explain the complexities of the digital divide and the crucial policy responses. Here’s our list. 

D.C. Circuit Denies Petition for Review of Lifeline Order

The National Lifeline Association challenged the Federal Communications Commission's November 2019 Lifeline order which restored the role of states in designating eligible telecommunications carriers (ETCs) to participate in the Lifeline program, clarified the obligations of participating carriers, and took steps to improve compliance by Lifeline ETCs and reduce waste, fraud, and abuse in the program. The issue in this case concerns support payments to ETCs for prepaid Lifeline subscribers in cure periods because of their non-usage of the service.

Lifeline Program Data Collection

The Federal Communications Commission is directing a group of mobile service providers to respond to a questionnaire about customer usage and costs. The responses of this group, encompassing a significant portion of the Lifeline marketplace by subscribership, will aid the development of the State of the Lifeline Marketplace Report. The FCC also expects this data to inform the policy choices before the FCC regarding the mobile broadband minimum service standards—standards established in 2016 and annually updated.

The Cost Of Broadband Is Too Damned High

How much do consumers pay for internet service in the United States? The question might seem relatively simple, but the answer has stymied the federal government for years—because no agency collects this data. Throughout 2020, my organization, New America’s Open Technology Institute, published the Cost of Connectivity series to crack open the black box of internet pricing.

Sponsor: 

Universal Service Administrative Company

Date: 
Wed, 12/09/2020 - 20:00 to 21:00

Learn more about FCC Form 555. This training will provide a walkthrough of the FCC Form 555 and review form resources. USAC will also discuss recent Lifeline changes, including the NLAD 508 Redesign.

During the webinar, you will be able to ask questions and participate in a dialogue with USAC and service providers throughout the industry. 

During this training, the Lifeline Program staff will discuss: 

  • Announcements

  • FCC Form 555

  • Live Audience Q&A



NTCA discusses phasedown of Lifeline support for voice-only customers

In meetings with Federal Communications Commission staff, NTCA discussed an issue identified recently related to the phasedown of Lifeline support for voice-only customers and its interplay with cost recovery under the High-Cost universal service program. Specifically, for many eligible telecommunications carriers (“ETCs”), the reduction of the Lifeline subsidy for such customers to $5.25 per month effective December 1, 2020, precludes recovery of the full amount of the Subscriber Line Charge (“SLC”), and it appears that these shortfalls may be unrecoverable through the High-Cost program.

Ajit Pai quietly changes landscape for low-income mobile subscribers before he departs

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai has been extremely popular with the telecom companies he’s regulated for the last four years, but one corner of the industry will not be sad to see the chairman step down. The carriers that provide mobile service to the nation’s neediest citizens say Pai is trampling them on his way out the door while pulling critical service away from those hit hardest by this year’s economic downturn. Lifeline providers say an FCC order that took effect December 1 will force them to stop offering free data service to qualified low-income customers.

Lifeline Groups Seek Court Stay of Service Standard Increase

The National Lifeline Association and Assist Wireless have asked a federal court to stay the Dec. 1 trigger for the Federal Communications Commission's increase of the mobile broadband minimum service standard in the Lifeline subsidy program from 3 GB to 4.5 GB. The groups first petitioned the FCC for a stay, but that was denied.  The petitioners told the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit that absent the emergency stay, they would suffer irreparable harm.

National Lifeline Eligibility Verifier Launches in California

The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau announced the full launch of the National Lifeline Eligibility Verifier (National Verifier) in California, effective December 18, 2020.

Communications Workers challenge Verizon’s purchase of Tracfone

The Communications Workers of America (CWA) is taking issue with Verizon’s proposed acquisition of Tracfone. The trade union says Tracfone is one of the largest providers of Lifeline services in the United States, and it fears those services could be jeopardized if Tracfone is acquired by Verizon. CWA also says the prospect of the acquisition raises significant antitrust concerns, which could negatively affect consumer prices and workers’ wages in the wireless industry. Verizon is trying to buy the mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) Tracfone for $6.9 billion.

FCC Extends COVID Related Lifeline Program Waivers through Feb. 2021

In response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, the Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau has waived certain Lifeline program rules in five previous orders to provide necessary relief for low-income households.

Mixed Decision on Waiver of Lifeline Minimum Service Standards

The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau addresses the petition of the National Lifeline Association (NaLA), seeking a waiver of the FCC’s rules updating the Lifeline program’s minimum service standard for mobile broadband usage, which otherwise would take effect on December 1, 2020. NaLA also seeks to halt the phase-down of the support amount for Lifeline service that does not meet the broadband minimum standard, which will decrease from $7.25/month to $5.25/month on December 1, 2020.

Sponsor: 

Universal Service Administrative Company

Date: 
Wed, 11/18/2020 - 19:00 to 20:00

Updates about the Lifeline Program, including rules and orders, guidance about compliance and filings, the National Verifier, and the National Lifeline Accountability Database (NLAD). During the webinar, you can ask questions and participate in a collaborative dialogue with USAC and stakeholders throughout the industry.



With a Biden Administration, Broadband Advocates Have Hope for Lifeline Reform

With President-elect Joe Biden and his to-be-determined administration preparing to take office in January, broadband and consumer advocates are optimistic about the prospects of modernization reforms for Lifeline and other federal programs aimed at making internet and phone services more affordable under a potentially Democratic-led Federal Communications Commission.

Restoring the Federal Communications Commission’s Legal Authority to Oversee the Broadband Market

The next leadership team of the Federal Communications Commission must prioritize restoring the agency’s authority to protect consumers and competition in the broadband market. Under the next administration, FCC leadership should quickly commence a proceeding proposing to reclassify broadband as a “telecommunications service” under Title II of the Communications Act of 1934. This reclassification puts the FCC on the firmest legal ground to

Biden's win gives tech industry the chance for a Washington reset

Joe Biden's transformation into president-elect Saturday kicks off a new era for tech, giving an industry that's found itself increasingly at odds with government the chance for a reset. Biden's ascent could see the restoration of some tech-friendly Obama-era policies but is unlikely to end the bipartisan techlash that grew during Trump's term.

FCC Reaches $200 Million Settlement in Sprint Lifeline Investigation

The Federal Communications Commission announced that T-Mobile will pay a $200 million penalty to the US Treasury to resolve an investigation of its subsidiary Sprint’s compliance with the FCC’s rules regarding waste, fraud, and abuse in the Lifeline program for low-income consumers. The payment is the largest fixed-amount settlement the FCC has ever secured to resolve an investigation.

FCC Responds to Narrow Remand of Restoring Internet Freedom Order

The Federal Communications Commission adopted an Order on Remand in response to the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit’s remand of three discrete issues for further consideration by the FCC regarding its 2017 Restoring Internet Freedom Order. The court’s Oct 2019 ruling in Mozilla Corp. v. FCC affirmed the FCC’s decision to repeal net neutrality rules. The Court’s decision also upheld the FCC’s robust transparency rule ensuring consumers are fully informed about their online options. This action addresses the few remaining issues the court asked the FCC to consider.

Reactions to FCC Net Neutrality Remand Order

On Oct 27, the Federal Communications Commission voted to approve an Order on Remand that would reaffirm the agency’s 2017 net neutrality repeal. The vote is a response to a 2019 remand by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals in Mozilla v. FCC ordering the agency to address how its net neutrality repeal could harm public safety, pole attachments, and even the Lifeline program. 

House Democrats Criticize FCC Chairman Pai's Moves to Cement Net Neutrality Rollback

Chairman Pai is at it again, pushing his anti-consumer agenda – this time on the eve of an historic election.  Americans deserve strong Net Neutrality protections, but this FCC is rushing ahead of November 3rd to further cement its efforts to deprive Americans of these critical protections.  At a time when internet connectivity is especially critical for students, parents, first responders, low-income and rural Americans, the FCC should be protecting American families, not undermining them.  Time and again, this FCC has put industry interests before those of consumers, and its actions this

Remarks of Commissioner Starks at ABA/FCBA Privacy and Data Security Symposium

We won’t fully bring the benefits to all Americans if we’re advocating for bringing a connection into their homes that is insecure or unsafe. That means we cannot allow data security and privacy to become luxury goods available only to the elite. On the security side, I’ve been vocal about the need to secure our communications networks.

By What Authority

Can the Federal Communications Commission regulate the internet? Can it offer consumer protections for broadband subscribers? Can it regulate the content found on social media sites?

Rep Eshoo Blasts FCC Indifference to Public Safety in Latest Net Neutrality Proceeding

Rep Anna Eshoo (D-CA-18), a senior member of the House Communications and Technology Subcommittee, wrote to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai to express her high concerns that the FCC is ignoring its court-mandated obligation to protect public safety in its latest net neutrality repeal order and called on the Chairman to drop the proposal from next week’s open meeting agenda. “California is experiencing the most horrific wildfire season in history, and I’m deeply concerned that the FCC is ignoring its mandate to protect public safety as required by statute and by a federal

FCC Announces Tentative Agenda for October 2020 Open Meeting

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai announced that the items below are tentatively on the agenda for the October Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Tuesday, October 27, 2020: