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 Federal  Communications  Commission  FCC  04-  87 
 STATEMENT  OF  COMMISSIONER  JONATHAN  S.  ADELSTEIN 
 I  am  pleased  to  support  this  Order  because  it  strengthens  and  enhances  the  Commission’s  Lifeline  and  Link-  Up  programs.  Together,  the  Lifeline  and  Link-  Up  programs  form  the 
 backbone  of  our  efforts  to  promote  universal  telephone  service  for  low-  income  consumers.  By  providing  discounts  on  telephone  installation  and  monthly  telephone  service  to  low-  income 
 consumers,  the  Lifeline  and  Link-  Up  programs  have  been  instrumental  in  helping  us  achieve  extraordinarily  high  levels  of  telephone  penetration  in  the  U.  S.  Overall,  more  than  95  percent  of 
 households  in  the  U.  S.  have  telephone  service. 
 Indeed,  for  most  of  us,  living  without  telephone  service  is  almost  unimaginable.  Telephone  service  is  considered  a  necessity  for  daily  modern  life.  It  is  a  link  to  our  jobs,  to 
 commerce,  to  healthcare  and  emergency  services,  not  to  mention  friends  and  family.  Increasingly,  telephone  service  is  a  baseline,  upon  which  we  are  building  a  national 
 communications  infrastructure  capable  of  supporting  services  that  are  transforming  our  economy  and  way  of  life. 


 Despite  our  progress,  consumers  in  over  5  million  U.  S.  households  lack  even  the  most  basic  connectivity.  For  many  of  these  consumers,  the  cost  of  activating  and  maintaining 
 telephone  service  is  prohibitively  expensive,  keeping  even  the  most  basic  connections  out  of  reach.  This  is  particularly  so  for  low  income  consumers,  who  are  much  less  likely  to  have  access 
 to  telephone  service.  So,  I  am  pleased  that  this  order  strikes  at  that  gap  by  introducing  for  the  first  time  federal  income-  based  criteria  for  the  Lifeline  and  Link-  Up  programs.  This  Order 
 recognizes  that  poverty  rates  are  increasing,  while  participation  in  many  public  assistance  programs  is  decreasing.  I  hope  that  the  income-  based  criteria  that  we  adopt  in  this  Order  will 
 allow  our  valuable  programs  to  reach  more  of  the  consumers  who  truly  need  this  assistance,  and  I  look  forward  to  exploring  the  broader  criteria  proposed  in  the  attached  Notice. 


 I  am  also  pleased  that  this  Order  encourages  states  and  carriers  to  do  more  to  increase  participation  by  eligible  consumers.  With  less  than  half  of  all  eligible  households  participating 
 in  these  programs,  it  appears  that  many  low  income  consumers  are  unaware  that  assistance  is  available  to  them.  One  significant  step  in  this  Order  is  the  conclusion  that  we  must  do  more  to 
 reach  out  to  non-  English  speaking  consumers.  Through  this  approach,  we  recognize  and  foster  the  diversity  of  our  communities. 


 I  would  like  to  thank  the  members  of  the  Federal-  State  Joint  Board  on  Universal  Service  for  their  contributions  on  this  issue.  Their  recommendations  form  the  basis  for  this  decision.  I 
 would  also  like  to  recognize  our  colleagues  in  the  state  public  utility  commissions  who  continue  to  work  hard  to  implement  these  programs  as  efficiently  and  effectively  as  possible.  All  of  us 
 benefit  from  their  efforts  and  success. 
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