FCC Shouldn't Forget Voice-Only Subscribers in Reforming Lifeline Program, Sprint Says
Sprint supports expanding the Lifeline program to pay for broadband, but the FCC shouldn't forget about voice-only subscribers, carrier representatives said in a meeting with Wireless Bureau Chief Jon Wilkins and others at the agency. “While recognizing the importance of…
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!
Lifeline support for broadband services, Sprint emphasized the fundamental need to maintain a voice-only Lifeline service option and described the significant impact an end-user co-pay would have on participation rates by the most vulnerable consumers,” Sprint said in the filing posted filing posted Thursday in docket 09-197. Sprint also issued a warning on the cost of providing broadband service. “Given the financial constraints under which the federal Universal Service Fund operates and the economics of providing broadband service" a "broadband-centric Lifeline program which includes overly ambitious performance standards will almost certainly involve out-of-pocket payments by Lifeline subscribers, both for monthly service and for the purchase of a broadband-capable device,” the carrier said. “There is no support in the record that a monthly subsidy of $9.25 would cover the cost of providing broadband service.”