OTI Calls for Modernization of Lifeline Program

WASHINGTON, DC — New America’s Open Technology Institute (OTI) submitted comments yesterday in the Federal Communications Commission’s ongoing proceeding to modernize the Lifeline program, a federal subsidy that has offered discounted phone service to eligible low-income Americans since 1985. The FCC has proposed allowing Lifeline customers to apply the $9.25 subsidy towards broadband service. Currently, Lifeline subsidies are only eligible to be applied to voice phone service, or voice service bundled with a broadband offering. OTI strongly supports the proposal to modernize the fund to support standalone broadband and urged the Commission to implement the reform in a thoughtful manner that protects consumers and their data while promoting competition, affordability, and digital literacy.

The following statement can be attributed to Joshua Stager, Policy Counsel for New America’s Open Technology Institute:

After three decades of successfully connecting low-income Americans to vital services and providing a ladder out of poverty, the Lifeline program is ready to evolve with the changing needs of participation in 21st Century America. The time has come for Lifeline’s transition to a more flexible, broadband-inclusive program. OTI commends the Commission’s latest effort to modernize Lifeline, another prudent step in the program’s evolution that began with its creation during the Reagan Administration and continued with the expansion into wireless voice service during the George W. Bush Administration. With thoughtful implementation, the Commission can strengthen Lifeline and help bridge America’s longstanding digital divide.