State oversight of the federal Lifeline program is needed...

meeting (http://bit.ly/1fj6Lq5). NRRI surveyed 48 states and Washington, D.C., to determine the types of providers certified, their certification processes, ETC requirements and enforcement polices, the state Lifeline fund size and any pending changes in certification requirements and processes. Twenty states and D.C. have their own Lifeline funds, but several of the states are in the process of modifying their funds as a result of state legislation and the FCC Lifeline reform order (http://fcc.us/I3S1NH). Over 50 percent of the states certify wireless and cable providers as ETCs, but none of the states has certified VoIP providers, the NRRI survey found. California, Massachusetts, Missouri, Texas, Wisconsin and Wyoming all have, or recently closed, pending legislation or state commission proceedings concerning Lifeline, said Lichtenberg. California Assembly Bill 1409 would have required the California Public Utilities Commission to consider cable and VoIP providers for participation in the state’s Lifeline program, but California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) vetoed the bill (CD Sept 23 p15). The Massachusetts Department of Telecommunications and Cable has an ongoing proceeding to change the requirements for the FCC Lifeline program that’s currently open for comment on a staff recommendation (CD Oct 16 p15). State commissions need to “strike a balance” between creating Lifeline rules that prevent waste, fraud and abuse, and meeting the public interest requirement of increasing the enrollment of eligible consumers in the program, said Lichtenberg in the report. Eligible required services should be determined on a state-by-state basis, she said.