FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS CoMMissioN WASHINGTON OFFICE OF THE CHAIRMAN December 3, 2019 The Honorable Anna G. Eshoo U.S. House of Representatives 202 Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Dear Congresswoman Eshoo: Thank you for your letter regarding the Commission s continued efforts to implement the Lifeline National Eligibility Verifier (National Verifier) with the automated connection with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to verify the Lifeline eligibility of applicants who participate in Medicaid. I appreciate your recognition of this achievement by the Commission s talented staff. I am committed to bridging the digital divide, and like you, I believe the Lifeline program can help dojust that. As you note, as of September 17, 2019, theNational Verifier completed an automated connection with CMS. The National Verifier is now automatically verifying the eligibility of up to 78% of consumers seeking to enroll in Lifeline. As of September 24, 2019, USAC has processed more than 626,000 new Lifeline applications since launching the National Verifier. The Commission and USAC continue to work to increase the number of automated connections with states and federal eligibility systems available through the National Verifier as the rollout progresses. Commission staff and USAC also continue to work closely with the Department of Veterans Affairs to achieve an automated connection to verify Lifeline eligibility for consumers receiving benefits through the Veterans and Survivors Pension Benefits programs. In addition, the National Verifier also has automated connections with several state systems and USAC and the FCC remain willing to work with any state, territory, or district that would like to establish an automated eligibility verification connection, including with states that express interest in establishing such a connection after the National Verifier has soft-launched in that state. Commission staff continue to review and provide feedback on USAC  sNational Verifier development and implementation plans to ensure that the National Verifier is implemented in a cost-effective manner that will create a more effective, efficient, and fiscally responsible Lifeline program. Thank you once again for your letter. Please let me know if I can be of any further assistance. Sincerely, ()