Federal Communications Commission DA 26-856 DA 26-856 Released: August 14, 2026 WIRELINE COMPETITION BUREAU SEEKS COMMENT ON PETITION FOR RULEMAKING ON LIFELINE AGENT REQUIREMENTS WC Docket No. 11-42 Comment Date: September 14, 2026 Reply Comment Date: September 29, 2026 By this Public Notice, the Wireline Competition Bureau seeks comment on a petition for rulemaking (Petition) from Universal Marketing, LLC (Universal Marketing), requesting the Commission initiate a rulemaking in its Lifeline program to “elevate the professional, academic, and economic standards required to hold an active National Verifier Agent ID.” Universal Marketing LLC Formal Regulatory Petition for Administrative Rulemaking, WC Docket Nos. 11-42 and 21-450 (filed July 6, 2026) (Petition) at 1. In its Petition, Universal Marketing proposes, among other things, that the Commission should require verification that agents responsible for enrolling Lifeline program subscribers have a high school diploma or similar degree, implement “a structural cap on the maximum number of active Agent IDs permitted to operate simultaneously within a specific ZIP code or municipal boundary,” and require the Universal Service Administrative Company to perform localized field audits of agents. Id. at 4-5. Pursuant to section 1.405 of the Commission’s rules, 47 CFR § 1.405, interested parties may file comments or oppositions to Universal Marketing’s Petition on or before September 14, 2026 and reply comments on or before September 29, 2026. All pleadings should reference WC Docket No. 11-42 and may be filed using the Commission’s Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS) or by filing paper copies. See Electronic Filing of Documents in Rulemaking Proceedings, 63 Fed. Reg. 24121 (1998). · Electronic Filers: Comments may be filed electronically using the Internet by accessing the ECFS: https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/. · Paper Filers: Parties who choose to file by paper must file an original and one copy of each filing. o Filings can be sent by hand or messenger delivery, by commercial courier, or by the U.S. Postal Service. All filings must be addressed to the Secretary, Federal Communications Commission. o Hand-delivered or messenger-delivered paper filings for the Commission’s Secretary are accepted between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. by the FCC’s mailing contractor at 9050 Junction Drive, Annapolis Junction, MD 20701. All hand deliveries must be held together with rubber bands or fasteners. Any envelopes and boxes must be disposed of before entering the building. o Commercial courier deliveries (any deliveries not by the U.S. Postal Service) must be sent to 9050 Junction Drive, Annapolis Junction, MD 20701. o Filing sent by U.S. Postal Service First-Class Mail, Priority Mail, and Priority Mail Express must be sent to 45 L Street NE, Washington, DC 20554. People with Disabilities. To request materials in accessible formats for people with disabilities (braille, large print, electronic files, audio format), send an e-mail to fcc504@fcc.gov or call the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau at 202-418-0530 (voice). Ex Parte Rules. The proceeding in this Notice shall be treated as a “permit-but-disclose” proceeding in accordance with the Commission’s ex parte rules. See 47 CFR §§ 1.1200 et seq. Persons making ex parte presentations must file a copy of any written presentation or a memorandum summarizing any oral presentation within two business days after the presentation (unless a different deadline applicable to the Sunshine period applies). Persons making oral ex parte presentations are reminded that memoranda summarizing the presentation must: (1) list all persons attending or otherwise participating in the meeting at which the ex parte presentation was made and (2) summarize all data presented and arguments made during the presentation. If the presentation consisted in whole or in part of the presentation of data or arguments already reflected in the presenter’s written comments, memoranda, or other filings in the proceeding, the presenter may provide citations to such data or arguments in his or her prior comments, memoranda, or other filings (specifying the relevant page and/or paragraph numbers where such data or arguments can be found) in lieu of summarizing them in the memorandum. Documents shown or given to Commission staff during ex parte meetings are deemed to be written ex parte presentations and must be filed consistent with section 1.1206(b) of the Commission’s rules. Id. § 1.1206(b). In proceedings governed by section 1.49(f) of the rules or for which the Commission has made available a method of electronic filing, written ex parte presentations and memoranda summarizing oral ex parte presentations, and all attachments thereto, must be filed through the electronic comment filing system available for that proceeding, and must be filed in their native format (e.g., .doc, .xml., .ppt, searchable .pdf). Id. Participants in this proceeding should familiarize themselves with the Commission’s ex parte rules. For further information regarding this Notice, please contact Michael Alonso Michael.Alonso@fcc.gov of the Telecommunications Access Policy Division, Wireline Competition Bureau. - FCC - 2