During the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) has taken numerous steps to make its 35-year-old discount telephone and broadband program — Lifeline — easier to access and retain for low-income Americans. 

As the FCC describes on its site, “Lifeline provides up to a $9.25 monthly discount on service for eligible low-income subscribers and up to $34.25 per month for those on Tribal lands. Subscribers may receive a Lifeline discount on either a wireline or a wireless service, but they may not receive a discount on both services at the same time. Lifeline also supports broadband Internet service and broadband-voice bundles. FCC rules prohibit more than one Lifeline service per household.”

Among other things, it is now easier for individuals who lost their employment during the coronavirus pandemic to enroll in the Lifeline program. As of April 29, 2020, the FCC has also temporarily waived the three-month income verification lookback for consumers seeking to qualify for the program based on their income. Lastly, the FCC waived recertification, reverification, general de-enrollment, income documentation, and documentation requirements for subscribers residing in rural areas on Tribal lands and has extended those waivers until September 30, 2021.

Despite the example of the FCC’s actions to temporarily reform Lifeline to increase enrollment in the lifesaving program, and the California Public Utility Commission’s focused efforts to reform Lifeline to help low-income households affected by COVID (see, https://bit.ly/3AzVjmD), New York’s Public Service Commission did nothing in 2020 and 2021 to improve its Lifeline program.

California’s PUC acted because it believed, particularly during COVID-19: “The LifeLine Program must support affordable choices for Californians across the state, including rural and urban Californians, households and individuals who need no-cost wireless services, and struggling families who need mobile family plans or fixed voice or broadband services.” And its official press release noted that “this Decision brings broadband service for the first time into our LifeLine proceeding as the COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized the importance of broadband access for all Californians to support distance learning, telehealth, and working from home.”

In New York’s March 2020 State of Emergency (see, Executive Order 202 at https://on.ny.gov/3u0BYbF), the Governor ordered all state entities to take appropriate action to assist individuals in responding to and recovering from the disaster emergency and to provide such other assistances is necessary to protect the public health, safety and welfare. However, despite having an ongoing proceeding to expand its Lifeline program (see, consolidated case 20-C-0314 at https://on.ny.gov/39tcSZz), the NYS Department of Public Service (DPS) and Public Service Commission allowed that vital proceeding to sputter out with no actions to modernize and extend protections for New York’s 2.6 million low-income households during a combined public health and economic crisis unmatched in our history.

Broadband was just as vital for New Yorkers sheltering at home between March of 2020 and June of 2021 during the State of Emergency, as it was for Californians. Yet despite that, during #LifeLineAwarenessWeek 2020, we look back upon more than 18 months of inaction on New York’s Lifeline program in the state that suffered the most in the United States during Year 1 of COVID. That failure to act cannot be allowed to remain unaddressed.

If you have never signed up for Lifeline, you can go to https://www.lifelinesupport.org, to sign up.