CUB Submits Lifeline Comments
Posted on January 30, 2018 by Samuel Pastrick
Tags, Telecommunications
Earlier today (Tuesday January 30), CUB submitted comments to the Federal Communications Commission outlining our clear disagreement with their unreasonable plans to dismantle foundational provisions of the Lifeline program. Similar to our summer 2017 campaign in opposition to the FCC’s rollback of their own 2016 Open Internet (net neutrality) rules, we asked Oregonians to “sign on” to our Lifeline comments. In just two short weeks, we gathered 217 signatures to reinforce our advocacy.
To those who signed onto our letter—thank you! The addition of your collective voice informs our position and lets the FCC know that everyday Oregonians believe in effective public policies like Lifeline.
Again, these new FCC recommendations are so troubling because Lifeline is the only federal program of its kind—offering support to low-income households in the form of monthly bill-payment assistance for landline telephone, mobile voice, or Internet service. To complicate matters further, were the FCC to move forward, the current market for eligible Lifeline providers would destabilize, which could cause a separate but complementary program in Oregon, administered by the Public Utility Commission, to dissolve.
Together, these two programs serve tens of thousands of Oregonians each year with a combined monthly subsidy of $12.75 for landline and mobile voice, and $9.25 for broadband Internet.
Thankfully, any decision on the part of the FCC to enact their proposed “reforms” will not and cannot proceed without a sustained fight from advocates and everyday people like the 217 who signed onto CUB’s letter. In fact, just last week, after a group of advocates appealed for an extension of their initial public comment deadline, the FCC will now receive public input until February 21.
If you missed the opportunity to sign onto our comments, you still have time. The National Digital Inclusion Alliance put together a helpful guide for folks interested in commenting directly to the FCC.
As always, stay tuned for further blog updates on this topic and more.
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09/05/22 | 0 Comments | CUB Submits Lifeline Comments