CenturyLink Seeks Lifeline Streamlining for all Providers
The FCC should reform Lifeline USF, which is overly complex, said CenturyLink in a filing Tuesday in docket 11-42 on meetings with aides to Chairman Tom Wheeler and Commissioner Mignon Clyburn. The complexity has caused consumer confusion and frustration with…
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the "bureaucratic nature of the program," while saddling providers with administrative burdens and regulatory costs that discourage participation, the telco said. If Lifeline support is extended to broadband, program administration should be streamlined for all providers and not just new entrants, "especially by promptly shifting eligibility verification to a third party and by not requiring offering of all Lifeline broadband options in all areas," it said. "The company also cautioned against making participation mandatory for any providers or applying a rigid 10/1 Mbps minimum service level for wireline Lifeline broadband service, as it would limit options for consumers who may prefer less expensive options or who live in rural areas where only lower download and/or upload speeds are currently available."