Federal Communications Commission DA 19-260 DA 19-260 Released: April 5, 2019 WIRELINE COMPETITION BUREAU ANNOUNCES THE LAUNCH OF THE NATIONAL LIFELINE ELIGIBILITY VERIFIER FOR ALL NEW ENROLLMENTS IN FOUR STATES, THREE TERRITORIES, AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA WC Docket No. 11-42 By this Public Notice, the Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) announces the launch of the National Lifeline Eligibility Verifier (National Verifier) for all new enrollments in Alaska, American Samoa, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maine, the Northern Mariana Islands, Rhode Island, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. See Lifeline and Link Up Reform and Modernization et al., Third Report and Order, Further Report and Order, and Order on Reconsideration, 31 FCC Rcd 3962, 4021, para. 165 (2016) (2016 Lifeline Order) (directing the Bureau to “issue a notification to all interested participants providing information about effective dates and any other relevant obligations” as USAC deploys the National Verifier in each state). Starting on May 7, 2019, ETCs in these four states, three territories, and the District of Columbia will be required to use the National Verifier to make eligibility determinations for all consumers applying for Lifeline service and must cease using legacy eligibility processes for prospective Lifeline subscribers. The USAC reverification process in these four states, three territories, and the District of Columbia will begin at a later date. As of May 7, 2019, consumers in Alaska, American Samoa, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maine, the Northern Mariana Islands, Rhode Island, and the U.S. Virgin Islands can begin to check their eligibility for Lifeline service directly by using the National Verifier consumer portal available at CheckLifeline.org. The consumer portal is available in both English and Spanish language versions. Consumers, as well as service providers, will also be able to mail Lifeline program forms and documentation to USAC for manual review. Consumers and service providers can obtain the Lifeline program application form by going to CheckLifeline.org and clicking on “use a paper form.” Forms sent by mail should be sent to: USAC Lifeline Support Center P.O. Box 7081 London, KY 40742 USAC has been conducting ongoing outreach and training for ETCs in the relevant states, territories, and the District of Columbia during the soft launch. ETCs have also had access to a pre-production test environment during the soft launch, which was designed to improve ETCs’ ability to conduct sample transactions using test data that does not reflect actual Lifeline applicants and train their employees for readiness. To ensure that ETCs continue to be supported during the transition to the National Verifier, USAC will also be contacting ETCs in the relevant states, territories, and the District of Columbia to provide details regarding additional training opportunities. Informational resource materials regarding the National Verifier are also available on USAC’s website. See https://www.usac.org/li/tools/national-verifier/how-to-use.aspx. For further information, please contact Allison Jones at (202) 418-1571, of the Wireline Competition Bureau’s Telecommunications Access Policy Division. – FCC – 2