Pai Recommits to Lawmakers on Implementing GAO Lifeline Recommendations
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai recommitted to “implementing measures” GAO recommended in a report released in June on continued "weaknesses" in Lifeline USF program management, saying in letters to the leaders of the Senate Homeland Security Committee and the House Oversight…
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!
Committee he intends agency staff to “follow through in implementing these actions.” Pai also copied the letter, released Friday, to Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio. Portman and Senate Homeland Security ranking member Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., jointly sought the GAO report. GAO found Lifeline management remains deficient despite FCC and Universal Service Administrative Co. efforts to improve controls over finances and enrollment by low-income consumers (see 1706290037). McCaskill and Senate Homeland Security Chairman Ron Johnson, R-WIs., said last week they will delay pursuing legislation to revamp Lifeline while FCC fixes take effect (see 1709140059). Pai also noted his July order to USAC to impose safeguards "to mitigate the risk of waste, fraud, and abuse" (see 1707110051). “These safeguards are designed to strengthen program integrity through in-depth examinations of subscriber eligibility, oversubscribed addresses, phantom Lifeline subscribers, deceased Lifeline subscribers, and duplicate subscribers, and through increased oversight over sales agents,” Pai said.