Republican lawmakers want to deny subsidies to eligible participants, undoing recent progress made to the Lifeline program and maintaining the digital divide.
Legislation has been introduced that would direct the FCC to establish a broadband Lifeline program. Activists, regulators, and members of the telecommunications industry -- all are lending support.
Phase two of the Connect America Fund (CAF II) will offer some $1.7 billion annually through 2020 to AT&T, CenturyLink, Frontier, Windstream, and Verizon for rural broadband.
?As broadband rapidly replaces voice service as the basic communications tool for our era, the FCC should rapidly update Lifeline to match the times," wrote the LCCHR.
Five years ago, Blair Levin oversaw the development of the National Broadband Plan; now, he's beginning a look back with Celebrating a Fifth O?Planniversary, on the Benton Foundation?s website.
FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn is supporting an upgrade and expansion of the Lifeline program which, she said, "was established in the mid '80s, has been stuck in the mid '80s.?