Media Contact: 
Mark Wigfield, (202) 418-0253
mark.wigfield@fcc.gov

For Immediate Release

FCC STREAMLINES ENROLLMENT PROCESS 
IN LIFELINE PROGRAM
New Interface Allows Carriers to Submit Consumer Information 
Directly to the National Eligibility Verifier
  -- 
WASHINGTON, December 10, 2019—The Federal Communications Commission today took an important step toward streamlining consumer enrollment into the Lifeline program by launching an electronic interface that participating carriers can use when verifying a potential subscriber’s eligibility for the program.  The application programming interface, or API, connects carriers’ systems to the Lifeline program’s National Eligibility Verifier.  The API will enable carriers to send applicant information directly to the National Verifier for an eligibility check, thereby reducing the paperwork required from potential subscribers.  

“Lifeline is an important program for closing the digital divide for low-income Americans,” said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai.  “By enabling carriers’ systems and the National Verifier to interact through this interface, we’ll make it easier for eligible consumers to enroll in the program.  I’d like to thank the hardworking staff of the FCC and the Universal Service Administrative Company, which administers Lifeline, for making this improvement to the National Verifier.  Because of their efforts, Lifeline will be a more efficient tool for connecting some of our most vulnerable citizens to broadband.”

The FCC’s Lifeline program plays an important role in ensuring that low-income Americans have access to affordable communication services by providing a monthly discount of up to $9.25 on broadband and voice services to qualifying consumers.  However, the program has been plagued by fraudulent or wasteful practices, including the enrollment of ineligible subscribers.  The FCC has been working to combat this waste, fraud, and abuse by rolling out an independent system, the National Eligibility Verifier, to confirm subscriber eligibility for the program in all fifty states and territories.  As the FCC’s Inspector General has observed, the “[c]ontinued, expeditious implementation of the National Verifier in all jurisdictions is essential to ensure it effectively serves to safeguard the integrity of the Lifeline Program.”

In addition to enrolling through a participating carrier, consumers can continue to apply for the Lifeline program through the National Verifier’s online consumer portal, which is available at www.checklifeline.org, or by using a paper application form.

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Media Relations: (202) 418-0500 / ASL: (844) 432-2275 / TTY: (888) 835-5322 / Twitter: @FCC / www.fcc.gov 
This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action.  Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action.  See MCI v. FCC, 515 F.2d 385 (D.C. Cir. 1974).