Low Income
About Low Income:
- Overview of the Program
- Overview of the Process
- Site Visits
- Understanding Audits
- Filing Appeals
- Training Events
Low Income Tools:
Rules and Orders
RULES
- 47 C.F.R § 54.400-417 are the rules governing the federal Universal Service Fund's Low Income Program.
ORDERS
- The 1997 Universal Service Order, Section 8 established the framework for the current Lifeline and Link Up program, including the eligibility criteria, discount rate, and basic services.
- In the Sixteenth Order on Reconsideration, the FCC agreed with the 5th Circuit Courts decision that the FCC had no jurisdiction to prohibit carriers from disconnecting Lifeline customers who failed to pay their toll charges, and therefore rescinded the "no disconnect" restriction.
- On June 20, 2000 the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released the Tribal Order, which enhanced the federal Lifeline and Link Up programs to better serve residents living on or near federally recognized tribal lands and reservations. The Order also established the FCC's role in designating eligible telecommunications carriers (ETCs).
- On August 31, 2000, the FCC released the Tribal Stay Order and Further Notice, which stayed all portions of the June 2000 order that applied to low-income customers residing near reservations.
- In January 2001, the FCC released the Coalition for Affordable Local and Long Distance Services (CALLS) Order which increased Tier One Lifeline support to coincide with the increase in consumer's residential Subscriber Line Charge (SLC) and prohibited price cap companies from assessing a federal Universal Service Fund contribution on their Lifeline customers.
- In February 26,2002, the FCC released the Multi-Association Group (MAG) Order and NPRM which prohibited non-price cap local exchange carriers from recovering their Universal Service Fund contributions from Lifeline customers.
- The FCC released a second Tribal Order on May 21, 2003. In this order, the FCC:
- Clarified the definition of "reservation" and "near reservation" in the context of the universal service program;
- concluded that Link Up support could not be applied to the cost of a wireless handset;
- clarified that low-income individuals living on reservations could qualify for the federal portion of Lifeline support if they met any of the eligibility criteria included in 47 C.F.R § 4.409 (b) or (c) regardless of whether they are in a federal default state or a state that mandates Lifeline support; and,
- sought comment on how "near reservation" should be identified and defined in the context of universal service programs.
- In April 2004, the Federal Communications Commission released In the Matter of Lifeline and Link Up modifying Low Income program. The effective date of this order was June 22, 2005. Changes included:
- The addition of new eligibility criteria;
- Verification and certification procedures;
- Recordkeeping requirements;
- Outreach guidelines;
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The Order also included a voluntary survey for states concerning state Lifeline and Link Up programs.
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The FCC established temporary Lifeline and Link Up Assistance benefits for eligible consumers affected by Hurricane Katrina
