The Impact of FCC’s New Proposed Changes to the Lifeline Program and What Americans Can Do to Help

By: Roxanna Barboza

In December 2017, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) moved forward on a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and Notice of Inquiry laced with proposals that threaten to disrupt phone and internet services for millions of Lifeline participants. Lifeline is the only federal program that provides low-income Americans with access to monthly telephone and broadband services, making communication services more affordable and accessible for disconnected populations.

When the FCC plans to move forward with its proposals is uncertain. They include:

• Removing non-facilities based providers that service approximately 70% of the Lifeline subscriber population;
• Eliminating the Lifeline Broadband Provider designation process for stand-alone broadband providers;
• Imposing a self-enforcing budget cap, which does not exist in any other FCC program;
• Requiring participants to submit a co-pay to qualify for the $9.25/month subsidy; and
• Imposing a lifetime benefit limit to the program based on a monetary or temporal basis.

Many of the proposals, especially efforts to change the fundamental purpose of the program, will make it more difficult for low-income Americans to access technology and participate in a digital society. That means that people who are already struggling to stay connected will become even more isolated as educational, entrepreneurial, and civic engagement opportunities continue to migrate online.

Many students will also feel the brunt of these proposals and have to navigate homework assignments without internet access. It is an obstacle that some will not be able to overcome as they find themselves falling behind in academics as well as employment opportunities. The Commission should be looking for ways to increase access to Lifeline, especially for low-income students who need it the most.

Reduced access to Lifeline has a measurable impact on health outcomes as well. Families in rural areas that lose access because of these proposals will have to invest time and money to travel for health care services that may otherwise be available online. Internet and telephone access allows those families to, for example, maintain remote access to primary care or obtain updates on current health conditions to determine whether it is necessary to travel. For them, Lifeline means more than access to telephone and broadband services. Being disconnected has dire consequences.

Importantly, Lifeline provides low-income Americans with an opportunity to speak on a 21st century platform. The internet is one of the only places where marginalized communities can speak freely, organize their own communities, and seek social justice. The FCC’s 2016 Lifeline Modernization Order recognized that all people in the United States, including these who cannot provide for themselves, should have access to quality, affordable telecommunications. The Lifeline program gives low-income Americans an opportunity to speak on a universal platform where they can be heard. Without Lifeline, many of those Americans will be denied access to emergency services, work opportunities, and meaningful participation in society.

Lifeline assists over twelve million households to stay in communications with their education, health care services, and their community. As access to the internet is transitioning from a luxury to a requirement, low-income families need solutions that help close the digital divide. Americans can get involved in defending the Lifeline program by:

• Requesting meetings with FCC Commissioners to discuss how the proposals could impact your community.
• Contacting your Congressman to share your Lifeline experiences. Positive stories can change the narrative about Lifeline at the FCC and on Capitol Hill.
• Participating in the Census. This could ensure an equitable distribution of public funds for telephone and broadband services in Lifeline. Additionally, this information could help lawmakers, advocacy groups, political groups to be better advocates for rural communities.
• Learning how your Lifeline administrators work. Find out about your local, state, and federal representatives who work on Lifeline. What are their responsibilities? What they are doing to promote Lifeline? Then, create a tool-kit for advocates in your community.
• Asking the FCC to articulate an action plan for the millions of Lifeline participants who will lose their service provider.
• Joining colleagues in a letter that documents support for Lifeline and file it ex parte in FCC Docket Nos. 17–287, 11–42, and 09–197.
• Draft op-ed and blog posts highlighting the importance of Lifeline.

Low-income Americans who cannot afford telephone and broadband services may not be able to call their Congressional representatives or the FCC. They are counting on those who can and deserve opportunities to get and stay connected. The Lifeline program helps make that a reality. Help lift up their voices and ask the FCC to abandon the current proposals and find new ways to strengthen Lifeline.