FCC's Pai Says Its Staff Talks With California, Oregon, Texas on Lifeline Verification
FCC staff is talking with officials in California, Oregon and Texas on agreements to check eligibility of those states' low-income subsidized telecom service subscribers, Chairman Ajit Pai told us after Thursday's commissioners' meeting. "I expect those agreements will be reached and [the] verifier stood up in those states by the end of the year. We are making progress." FCC employees are working with other agencies so the national verifier can "ping," or check with, other databases to confirm subscriber eligibility, he said.
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An announcement, possibly by the FCC, is possible next week or by Dec. 31 on continuing the national verifier's rollout, officials indicated Thursday. It could involve the three states, which are apparently the last where the NV hasn't been introduced in any fashion. Representatives of the federal agency and the program's administrator didn't provide details.
The chairman recounted the FCC inspector general says implementing the NV, which was adopted by the agency under then-Chairman Tom Wheeler, "is critical not just to weeding out waste, fraud and abuse, but also instituting confidence. Confidence from everybody that people who are getting benefits in the Lifeline program are people who need help. That's the baseline expectation that everybody has and the entire reason why we have been so focused on the national verifier."
Earlier this week, FCC staff said Florida, Illinois, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin are the next states to get the NV, without setting a hard-launch date (see 1912090066). That prompted stakeholders to say the FCC appears to be backing down from a 2016 plan to require the NV in all states by the end of this year.
It's the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission's understanding that annual recertification of existing Lifeline customers there "is currently on hold" from Dec. 16, when the NV launches in that and the four other states, to Feb. 21, emailed PUC Executive Secretary Dan Wolf Wednesday. "When National Verifier launches in a state, all existing Lifeline subscribers will be verified that they are eligible." The PUC "will monitor the enrollment impacts on Minnesota’s Lifeline customers," Wolf wrote us.
Some fear that low-income people could be incorrectly dropped from Lifeline rolls or not be able to get new service even if they're eligible. The Wisconsin Public Service Commission has been planning for moving to the NV under the FCC's schedule, its representative told us Wednesday (see 1912110044). It doesn't anticipate customers inadvertently being disconnected from the broadband and phone-service products.
The federal regulator is "actively working with California, Oregon, and Texas -- which are not part of the National Lifeline Accountability Database (NLAD) -- to soft launch the National Verifier" there, emailed FCC spokesperson Mark Wigfield, who Pai announced at the meeting is retiring at year's end (see personals section). "We expect to do so before the end of the year." Wigfield noted the IG says “continued, expeditious implementation of the National Verifier in all jurisdictions is essential to ensure it effectively serves to safeguard [its] integrity.” That document noted the NV would be "completely operational by the end of 2019" (see page 111).
The FCC may have an announcement next week about the NV in the three remaining states of California, Oregon and Texas, said an Oregon Public Utility Commission rep Thursday. Those three states have had neither soft nor final NV starts, said a Universal Service Administrative Co. spokesperson. As of Monday, the Oregon commission was "in discussions with the FCC and USAC," the PUC's rep emailed then. Now, those talks have concluded, she said Thursday evening.
Texas regulators didn't comment now.