Lifeline Telephone and Broadband Pilot Programs for Low-Income Households Elements and Analyses

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has made progress implementing reforms to the Lifeline Program (Lifeline), which reduces the cost of telephone service for eligible low-income households. Through FCC's Lifeline program, companies provide discounts to eligible low-income households for telephone service. Lifeline supports these companies through the Universal Service Fund (USF). Companies generally pass their USF contribution obligation on to their customers, typically in the form of a line item on their telephone bills. In 2012, FCC adopted reforms to address problems with duplicate and ineligible participants and to explore adding broadband through a pilot program. This book examines the status of reform efforts and the extent to which FCC has evaluated program effectiveness; the extent to which households participate and challenges they face in accessing and retaining benefits; and FCC's plans to evaluate the broadband pilot program. In addition, the book highlights several important patterns in the data relevant to any consideration of Lifeline support for broadband.