The FCC has obsessed for years about fraud in the program. There are numerous cases over the years of the program providing Lifeline subsidies to people who are no longer eligible or who even died. However, a lot of that blame has to placed on the FCC. Carriers have never had any ways to know if Lifeline participant gets a job and is no longer were eligible, or even if the eligible family member dies and the subsidy continues to go to the household. The FCC has finally taken the steps to fix such problems through the creation of the National Lifeline Eligibility Verifier – a database updated monthly by government agencies that provide the support that makes participants eligible.
The following new rules are lifted directly from the FCC, which says the new rules will improve the program by:
- Prohibiting participating carriers from paying commissions to employees or sales agents based on the number of consumers who apply for or are enrolled in the Lifeline program
- Requiring participating carriers’ employees or sales agents involved in enrollment to register with the program administrator, the Universal Service Administrative Co. (USAC)
- Strengthening prohibitions barring Lifeline providers from claiming “subscribers” that are deceased
- Taking additional steps to better identify duplicate subscribers, prevent reimbursement for fictitious subscribers, and better target carrier audits to identify potential FCC rule violations
- Increasing transparency by posting aggregate subscribership data, including data broken out at the county level, on USAC’s website
- Increasing transparency with states by directing USAC to share information regarding suspicious activity with state officials
- Restoring the states’ traditional role of designating carriers to participate in the Lifeline program.
One of the requirements is somewhat unusual in that ISPs need to identify those employees responsible for enrolling participants in the Lifeline plan. For most ISPs, that’s going to be the customer service staff. The requirement is a headscratcher because it’s hard to conceive of any possible good way that the FCC can use this information.
The last bullet point highlights an opportunity for ISPs that want to participate in the program. For the last several years it’s been exceedingly difficult for an ISP to enter the Lifeline program. During that same period, we’ve seen big telcos like AT&T withdraw from the plan in most of the states where they operate.
An ISP that wants to offer a low-price broadband product for low-income households can collect the Lifeline subsidy to offset price discounts. For example, an ISP could offer a low-income broadband connection and collect $20 from a customer and also collect the $9.25 Lifeline subsidy from the Universal Service Fund. The Lifeline funds are paid directly to the ISP from the Universal Service Fund.
More importantly, ISPs now can apply to become eligible for Lifeline with state regulators rather than from the FCC – which has been blocking new applications for several years. There is a particularly good opportunity for tribal ISPs since the Lifeline subsidy on tribal lands can be as high as $34.25 per qualified recipient.
Enrolling in the Lifeline program is another tool to help ISPs attack the homework gap. ISPs can use the subsidy to provide lower price broadband to qualifying homes with school students. If an ISP serves customers that qualify for a discount, it’s hard to justify not joining the program and giving such customers a break on rates.