Democratic lawmakers rebuke Chairman Pai’s attack on Lifeline

Forty-one Democratic members of the House of Representatives rebuked the attack on the Lifeline program by FCC Chairman Pai, who is President Trump’s pick to run the regulatory agency. The letter urged Chairman Pai to reconsider his recent decision to remove nine companies from the Lifeline subsidy program that provides low-income families $9.25 per month to help them afford voice or broadband service.

The program was modernized to include broadband service in 2016, and has been under near-constant attack by Republicans on Capitol Hill and at the FCC ever since. “Your action will hurt those in our country that need the most help,” the lawmakers wrote to Chairman Pai. “Your arbitrary decision will hurt poor children and widen the digital divide.”

Fifteen Democratic senators, including Senators Warren (D-MA) and Blumenthal (D-CT), also criticized Pai’s attack on Lifeline. “This action does nothing but create a harmful chilling effect on potential provider participation and unfairly punish low-income consumers,” the senators’ letter said.

The Communications Workers of America has advocated for Lifeline modernization for a decade, and will continue to fight to help all communities, including the poor, connect to high-speed Internet.

Links:

House Dems rip FCC chief over internet subsidy program (The Hill, Feb. 14, 2017)

Letter from lawmakers to Chairman Pai on Lifeline (US House of Representatives, Feb. 13, 2017)

Attacks on Lifeline defeated in Congress (Speed Matters, June 23, 2016)

CWA, AFL-CIO: Modernize Lifeline to include broadband (Speed Matters, Aug. 31, 2015)

CWA voices support for Lifeline modernization (Speed Matters, Feb. 19, 2016)