Lifeline Reform Proposals Too Harsh for Clyburn

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The FCC’s Lifeline program is supposed to help those who cannot afford broadband and phone service. The proverbial devil, however, is in the details. The Government Accountability Office said in its audit there’s no way to know how many people who need them are really getting them and whether the people now enrolled in the program are eligible.

Commissioner Mignon Clyburn criticized the plan as too strict. “If the goal of the current FCC majority is to widen existing divides, and ensure that our nation’s most vulnerable are less likely to be connected, this item sets us on that path.” Speaking at an event in Harlem Friday, she said: “The day we head down such a path, is a sad one indeed.”

A recent Inside Towers story reported Congress telling FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to fix Lifeline and eliminate waste, fraud and abuse. Pai recently stated: “Lifeline recipients in cities like Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Reno, Nevada receive an enhanced Tribal subsidy, intended for rural Tribal lands, of $34.25 a month, while those in other cities receive the standard $9.25 subsidy. Giving residents of Tulsa and Reno an extra $25 per month subsidy is a waste of money given that the cost of providing service in those cities is far lower there than it is in poorer, rural areas.” 

He’s proposed Lifeline reforms be voted on at the FCC’s November 16 meeting. One of those would aim to close the loophole mentioned above and limit the enhanced Tribal subsidy to those actually living on Tribal lands in rural areas. Commissioners will vote to seek public input on how to effectively and efficiently direct Lifeline funds to the areas where they are most needed and eliminate a current prohibition on Lifeline broadband beneficiaries changing service providers for an entire year.

A spending cap has not been specified, though the item does ask if there should be a limit, and if so, what that should be. The FCC also seeks to restore authority to states to determine which carriers are eligible to take part in Lifeline and receive subsidies.

October 31, 2017

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