Federal Communications Commission DA 13-1698 Before the Federal Communications Commission Washington, DC 20554 In the Matter of Lifeline and Link Up Reform and Modernization ) ) ) ) WC Docket No. 11-42 ORDER Adopted: August 1, 2013 Released: August 1, 2013 By the Chief, Telecommunications Access Policy Division, Wireline Competition Bureau: 1. In this Order, we grant a petition filed by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) seeking an extension of the deadline by which it is required, as a condition of its Lifeline duplicates database opt-out relief, to incorporate a third party identification verification system into its process to detect and eliminate duplicative support.1 With this extension, the CPUC now must comply with this condition by December 31, 2013. 2. In the Lifeline Reform Order, the Commission directed the Universal Service Administrative Company to establish the National Lifeline Accountability Database (NLAD) to prevent duplicative support in the Lifeline program.2 The Commission acknowledged that several states already had databases in place that detect and prevent duplicate subscribers from enrolling in Lifeline.3 The Commission delegated authority to the Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) to approve or deny state applications to opt out of the NLAD where states sought to demonstrate that they had a system in place to detect and eliminate duplicative support. 4 On March 4, 2013, the Bureau granted the CPUC’s request to opt out of the NLAD because California already had a mechanism in place to detect and prevent duplicatve subscribers, but conditioned the relief on the CPUC successfully incorporating an identification verification system into its duplicates detection and elimination process by August 1, 2013.5 Pursuant to that Order, the CPUC was required to file a report with the Bureau by June 1, 2013, explaining its progress in meeting the August 1, 2013 deadline.6 3. California uses a third-party administrator, Xerox, State & Local Solutions, Inc. (Xerox), to perform Lifeline eligibility and verification determinations. On May 31, 2013, the CPUC reported that it 1 See generally Lifeline and Link Up Reform and Modernization et al., Petition for Waiver and Compliance Plan of California Public Utilities Commission and the People of the State of California to Opt Out of the National Lifeline Accountability Database, WC Docket No. 11-42 (filed May 31, 2013) (California Petition). 2 Lifeline and Link Up Reform and Modernization et al., WC Docket No. 11-42 et al., Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 27 FCC Rcd 6656, 6734, para. 179 (2012) (Lifeline Reform Order). 3 Id. at 6752, para. 221. 4 Id. 5 Lifeline and Link Up Reform and Modernization, WC Docket No. 11-42, Order, 28 FCC Rcd 2012, 2014, para. 8 (Wireline Comp. Bur. 2013). 6 See id.; see also California Petition. Federal Communications Commission DA 13-1698 2 has begun the process of also working with a third party identification verification vendor, Lexis/Nexis.7 The third party identity verification process is based on using a certain confidence threshold to determine whether a person with a given name is, in fact, the person he claims to be (i.e., whether John Smith is, indeed, “John Smith”). Xerox is currently waiting for Lexis/Nexis to provide California with a detailed explanation of how the confidence level will be calculated and recommendations for establishing an acceptance threshold based on best industry practices.8 At the same time, the CPUC will also need to obtain approval from various controlling agencies in the State of California to amend the service agreement with Xerox, and the CPUC estimates that this process will take, at a minimum, two to three months.9 Consequently, the CPUC has asked the Bureau for an additional five month extension, until December 31, 2013, to completely incorporate the third party identification verification functionality.10 4. We find good cause to extend the compliance deadline as requested by the CPUC. The CPUC has made significant progress towards incorporating the third party identification verification system, as described in the May 31st report, and has committed to working diligently to come into compliance with the condition of its opt out relief. We therefore conclude that a five month extension, until December 31, 2013, is appropriate to give the CPUC sufficient time to incorporate a third party identification verification system into its process to detect and eliminate duplicative support. 5. ACCORDINGLY, IT IS ORDERED, pursuant to the authority contained in sections 1-4 and 254 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, 47 U.S.C. §§ 151-154 and 254, sections 0.91 and 0.291 of the Commission’s rules, 47 C.F.R. §§ 0.91, 0.291, and paragraph 221 of the Lifeline Reform Order, FCC 12-11, that the subject Petition filed by the California Public Utilities Commission is GRANTED to the extent described herein. FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION Kimberly Scardino Chief Telecommunications Access Policy Division Wireline Competition Bureau 7 See California Petition at 4. 8 Id. at 4-5. 9 Id. 10 Id.