STATEMENT OF
COMMISSIONER JONATHAN S. ADELSTEIN
Re: Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service; TracFone Wireless, Inc.; Petitions for 
Designation as an Eligible Telecommunications Carrier in the States of New York, 
Florida, Virginia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Alabama, North Carolina, Tennessee, 
Delaware, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia for the Limited 
Purpose of Offering Lifeline Service to Qualified Households, CC Docket No. 96-45, 
Order.
For most of us, living without telephone service is almost unimaginable.  It is a link to 
our jobs, to commerce, to healthcare and emergency services, not to mention friends and family.  
For that reason, Congress and the Commission have long recognized the importance of ensuring 
that consumers have affordable access to telecommunications services.   We have succeeded 
through Federal universal service programs, including Lifeline and Link Up, in achieving 
extraordinarily high levels of telephone penetration in the U.S.  Despite that progress, millions of 
consumers lack even the most basic connectivity.  For many of these consumers, the cost of 
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.  
Our Lifeline program forms the backbone of our efforts to reach low income consumers.  
Through this Order, the Commission takes a modest step to expand the options available for low 
income consumers.  By designating a provider that actively targets low-income consumers for 
Lifeline support, this Order should expand choice for these consumers.  This is particularly 
important, given the Commission’s estimate that only about one third of households eligible for 
Lifeline support actually subscribe to the program.  Greater competition for low-income 
customers should lead to better service offerings, lower costs, and, most importantly, greater 
participation.
I would like to thank the staff of the Wireline Competition Bureau for their hard work to 
address these petitions and the proposed compliance plan.  Given the unique circumstances of 
designating a prepaid provider as eligible to receive universal service support, it is important that 
the Commission carefully monitor its implementation and I look forward to working with both 
the Bureau and my colleagues should any questions arise.