IV. Conclusion

Ajit Pai and the Trump administration leave behind a weakened Lifeline program. One of the most tangible legacies of their war on the program is the lost time and misallocated resources; rather than improve the program, the government, industry, and public interest advocates spent the past four years dealing with the FCC’s various attacks, drafting comments, reviewing dockets, and filing lawsuits. There’s also a legacy of missed opportunities—the progress toward closing the digital divide that could have been made, and the unknowable number of people who could’ve enrolled in Lifeline had the Trump administration worked to strengthen the program instead of undermining it.

This damage can be repaired. Reinvigorating Lifeline to achieve its full potential will require leadership and focus from the FCC, Congress, the White House, consumer advocates, and the industry. There are still looming threats to the program that must be addressed, and new policies that are needed to ensure the subsidy is best serving low-income consumers. Clearly, the Biden administration faces daunting work on many fronts. But these challenges also represent a tremendous opportunity for new leadership to start a new, better chapter for Lifeline.