Aug 24, 2021 | Affordability, Blog Entry, By Ryan Johnston, Federal Policy, Filing, Lifeline, Reply Comments
When the federal Lifeline program was established in 1985, it provided a discount on phone service to qualifying low-income consumers. This continued until March 31, 2016, when the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) adopted an order to reform the Lifeline...
Apr 20, 2021 | Blog Entry, By Ryan Johnston, Federal Policy, Lifeline, News
In 2016, the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) directed the Wireline Competition Bureau to submit a State of the Lifeline Marketplace Report by June 30, 2021. This report is intended to provide meaningful insight on how the FCC should continue to administer...
Mar 15, 2021 | Blog Entry, By NCC Staff, Federal Policy, Lifeline, News
Last Fall, Verizon announced plans to buy TracFone, the largest prepaid, no-contract wireless provider in the U.S. TracFone has around 21 million customers and is one of the largest providers of Lifeline, a federal telecommunications subsidy program that enables...
Feb 15, 2021 | Blog Entry, By NCC Staff, Federal Policy, Lifeline, News
The Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) hosted a roundtable on the Emergency Broadband Benefit (“EBB”), a $3.2 billion program that will provide a discount of up to $50 per month towards broadband service for eligible households. Residents on Tribal lands will...
Jan 13, 2021 | Blog Entry, By NCC Staff, COVID-19, Federal Policy, Lifeline, NCC News, News
What is it? How Will it Work? Why Should Your Community Weigh-In on This Proceeding? The goal of the Emergency Broadband Benefit program is to connect low-income households with affordable broadband service and a requisite device during the COVID-19 pandemic. At a...
Dec 21, 2020 | Blog Entry, By Corian Zacher, By Ryan Johnston, Federal Policy, Lifeline, State Policy
Local officials recurrently raise concerns about affordability when discussing challenges to expanding broadband access and improving adoption in their communities. While mobile internet is by no means a substitute for a fixed wireline connection, for people living...
