Pa. PUC Aligns Lifeline Program With Federal Update
Pennsylvania adopted updated federal eligibility rules for Lifeline ahead of the FCC’s Dec. 2 implementation deadline to align state rules. At a Wednesday meeting, the Pennsylvania Utility Commission voted to align its rules with the federal low-income program. The PUC…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Communications Daily is required reading for senior executives at top telecom corporations, law firms, lobbying organizations, associations and government agencies (including the FCC). Join them today!
“retains authority to designate ETC providers that offer fixed and mobile voice service or voice and mobile services combined and will continue to do so until voice only Lifeline support has been phased out on December 1, 2021,” it said of eligible telecom carriers in an order. Self-certification will not be permitted to determine initial eligibility, “but is allowed in some instances for recertification purposes until the National Verifier is deployed in Pennsylvania,” it said. NARUC will vote next week on a draft resolution asking the FCC to grant waivers for states that need more time to align Lifeline rules (see 1611020045). The Oregon Public Utility Commission filed a petition Tuesday for temporary waiver of the December Lifeline deadline until June 1. "Implementation of the new benefit port freeze regulation requires significant modifications to the OPUC's Lifeline database and operations," the OPUC said in FCC docket 11-42. Also at the Pennsylvania PUC meeting, commissioners adopted an order increasing the state USF contribution rate to 1.83 percent from 1.74 percent. The agency said it increased the rate after seeing a decrease in assessable carrier revenue and estimating a $1.5 million year-end 2016 cash balance for the fund. Revenue from contributions to state USFs has declined in multiple jurisdictions (see 1607010010).