Consumer Groups Seek Smoother Entry to Lifeline
The FCC and Universal Service Administrative Co. should lower entry barriers to Lifeline, said Free Press, Common Cause, the National Hispanic Media Coalition and other consumer groups in Tuesday and Wednesday meetings with USAC and the FCC Wireline Bureau. The…
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advocates raised concerns about requiring Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program cards show expiration dates for proving eligibility and latitude/longitude requirements for individuals lacking a U.S. Postal Service-recognized address, said a notice posted Friday in docket 17-287. Paper applications should “take into consideration obstacles for unhoused individuals who do not have a residence to report on the application and do not have requisite internet access to obtain their latitudinal and longitudinal location as a replacement for a standard street address,” they said. Increasing public awareness of Lifeline could increase participation, and more transparent data on subscribership and demographics might help diagnose causes for attrition, the consumer groups told the bureau. NARUC last month agreed to a resolution urging the FCC and USAC ensure the national verifier accesses state databases required to automatically check user eligibility (see 1902130052).