Federal Communications Commission	DA  22-800


DA  22-800
Released:  July 29, 2022

WIRELINE COMPETITION BUREAU ANNOUNCES UPDATED LIFELINE MINIMUM SERVICE STANDARDS AND INDEXED BUDGET AMOUNT
WC Docket No. 11-42

By this Public Notice, the Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) announces updated minimum service standards for Lifeline-supported service as required by the 2016 Lifeline Order. Lifeline and Link Up Reform and Modernization et al., WC Docket No. 11-42 et al., Third Report and Order, Further Report and Order, and Order on Reconsideration, 31 FCC Rcd 3962, 3989-3997, paras. 73-98 (2016) (2016 Lifeline Order); 47 CFR § 54.408.
  The 2016 Lifeline Order established minimum service standards for certain Lifeline-supported services and established annual increases in those standards either in the Commission’s rules or pursuant to calculations set out in the Order and the Commission’s rules. 2016 Lifeline Order, 31 FCC Rcd at 3988-4000, paras. 69-106; 47 CFR § 54.408(b)-(c).
  Accordingly, we announce the newly calculated minimum service standard for fixed broadband data usage allowance.  This new standard will take effect on December 1, 2022.  Additionally, we announce that the budget for federal universal service support for the Lifeline program for calendar year 2023 will be $2,572,862,300. See 2016 Lifeline Order, 31 FCC Rcd at 4110, para. 403.
 
	Mobile broadband minimum service standard.  On July 1, 2022, the Bureau acted to pause any increase in the Lifeline minimum service standard for mobile broadband data capacity.  See Lifeline and Link Up Reform and Modernization et. al., WC Docket No. 11-42, Order, DA 22-706, para. 1 (WCB 2022).
  As such, the standard will continue to be 4.5 GB per month until at least December 1, 2023. 
Fixed broadband minimum service standard for data usage allowance.  Pursuant to the 2016 Lifeline Order, beginning December 1, 2022, the Lifeline minimum service standard for fixed broadband data usage will be 1280 GB per month, as calculated from the 2022 Urban Rate Survey data. See 47 CFR § 54.408(c)(1)(ii); 2016 Lifeline Order, 31 FCC Rcd at 3994, para. 90; FCC, Urban Rate Survey Data & Resources, https://www.fcc.gov/economics-analytics/industry-analysis-division/urban-rate-survey-data-resources (last visited July 29, 2022).  

	Mobile voice telephony minimum service standard.  The 2016 Lifeline Order established an automatic update to the Lifeline minimum service standard for mobile voice service through November 30, 2018. See 47 CFR § 54.408(b)(3); 2016 Lifeline Order, 31 FCC Rcd at 3998-99, paras. 100-102.
  Accordingly, pursuant to the 2016 Lifeline Order, on December 1, 2022, the Lifeline minimum service standard for mobile voice service will remain unchanged, at 1000 minutes per month. See 47 CFR § 54.408(b)(3)(iii) (“On and after December 1, 2018, the minimum standard will be 1000 minutes.”); 2016 Lifeline Order, 31 FCC Rcd at 3999, para. 102.

Annual budget.  The 2016 Lifeline Order adopted an initial budget of $2.25 billion for the calendar year beginning January 1, 2017. 47 CFR § 54.423(a)(1); 2016 Lifeline Order, 31 FCC Rcd at 4110, paras. 400-402.
  The 2016 Order also stated that the budget amount will be indexed to inflation in accordance with the Consumer Price Index for all items from the Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. 47 CFR § 54.423(a)(3); 2016 Lifeline Order, 31 FCC Rcd at 4110, para. 403.
  To perform this calculation, the Bureau used the annual percent change factor for the preceding year (here, 2021) to the year in which the calculation is being performed. See United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price-Index All Urban Consumer U.S. City Average, Not Seasonally Adjusted, Series CUUR0000SA0 (last visited July 29, 2022), https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/CUUR0000SA0?output_view=pct_12mths (annual average 12-month percent change for 2021 was 4.7 percent).
  Based on this calculation, the indexed budget for federal universal service support for the Lifeline program for the calendar year beginning January 1, 2022 was $2,457,366,093, Wireline Competition Bureau Announces Updated Lifeline Minimum Service Standards & Indexed Budget Amount, WC Docket No. 11-42, Public Notice, DA 21-930 (WCB 2021).
 and the indexed budget for the calendar year beginning January 1, 2023 will be $2,572,862,300.
For further information, please contact Nick Page, Telecommunications Access Policy Division, Wireline Competition Bureau, at nicholas.page@fcc.gov.


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