CPUC Extends Lifeline Action Deadline, Gets FCC Extension
The California Public Utilities Commission agreed to extend until April 23 its deadline to implement federal Lifeline eligibility rules. Commissioners voted unanimously Thursday at a livestreamed open meeting. The CPUC got its extension (see 1709190014) from the FCC. A Wednesday…
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!
FCC Wireline Bureau order in docket 11-42 gave CPUC until April 30 to align state LifeLine eligibility rules with the FCC rules. The original deadline was Oct. 31 and CPUC asked for Dec. 31 next year, but the bureau decided that was too long. “Rendering California’s eligibility process unusable could create significant burdens and inefficiency, and would undermine the state’s investment in a reliable third-party verification process,” the bureau said. “Potential harm that could result from failing to extend the Bureau’s previously-granted waiver for California outweighs the desire to bring about these eligibility changes sooner.” The extension will have “minimal financial impact on the Fund,” it said. If California doesn’t update processes by the deadline, eligible telecom carriers “will be responsible for ensuring that subscribers enrolled or recertified after that date are eligible under the Commission’s revised eligibility criteria,” the bureau said.