FCC Would Partly Accede to Requests to Adjust Changes to Lifeline Minimums
A draft FCC Lifeline action would partly grant some industry and other requests for delaying the full impact of changes due Dec. 1 to the program, agency and industry officials told us Friday. The move could be released as state telecom commissioners are meeting in San Antonio, after they asked their federal counterparts at their last meeting to delay such changes. Various industry and other groups made their own requests.
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The new draft wouldn't budge on a 2016 order's plan to decrease the monthly government funding for voice-only service for low-income people next month from about $9.25 per month to $7.25 per month, we were told. However, the monthly capacity for data service would rise 50 percent to 3 GB instead of the previously planned 8.75 GB.
Chairman Ajit Pai circulated a Wireline Bureau draft Wednesday, says the agency's list, which was updated Friday. After some commissioners apparently exercised their prerogative to seek a vote rather than have it done on a delegated authority, the item now will be voted on, an agency official said. It could be released this week.
The draft "is an Order addressing the petition of CTIA (and others) seeking a waiver of the Commission’s rules updating the Lifeline program’s minimum service standard for mobile broadband usage," emailed an agency spokesperson Friday night. He declined further comment.
"There has been a flurry of negotiations" to see whether there's any ground for a commissioners' compromise that would put off the phase-down in voice support planned to start Dec. 1, another official said. But some of what's in the draft may not change, that person said.
Over the summer, industry petitioned in docket 11-42 to delay the voice support phase-down as well as the launch of new minimum service requirements (see 1906280012). Several industry proposals made the rounds in recent weeks, and the agency is expected to adopt one to raise the minimum data requirements from 2 GB per month to 3 GB (see 1911070018).
A vote could be announced as early as Monday. The item is titled "Lifeline and Link Up Reform and Modernization, Telecommunications Carriers Eligible for Universal Support, Connect America Fund."