Lifeline Group Backed on Waiver Bid for Temporary Relief From New Nonusage Rules
Various wireless providers backed the Lifeline Connects Coalition request that the FCC temporarily waive new rules shortening a "nonusage window" from 60 days to 30 days and a "cure period" from 30 days to 15 days, which are currently expected…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Timely, relevant coverage of court proceedings and agency rulings involving tariffs, classification, valuation, origin and antidumping and countervailing duties. Each day, Trade Law Daily subscribers receive a daily headline email, in-depth PDF edition and access to all relevant documents via our trade law source document library and website.
to take effect Dec. 2 (see 1610260033). The waiver is needed to avoid cutoffs of telecom service to low-income subscribers subsidized by Lifeline until the FCC acts on a related petition for reconsideration by TracFone Wireless (which also sought a stay) that no parties opposed, said Assist Wireless, Boomerang Wireless, CGM, Cintex Wireless and Prepaid Wireless Group, Easy Telephone Services, TAG Mobile and TruConnect Communications. Without a waiver, "many eligible low-income consumers face the significant likelihood that they will (through no action of their own) be denied Lifeline benefits to which they are entitled and for which they have expressed no desire to discontinue," the companies said in a filing Monday in docket 11-42. "Evidence in the record indicates that millions of Lifeline subscribers may lose access to vital communications services" when the new 30-day non-usage rules take effect, they said. Most are expected to re-enroll, but the interim service loss would be harmful, they said. The LCC and TracFone requests also picked up support recently from the National Consumers League (here) and the National Consumer Law Center, United Church of Christ, Benton Foundation, Center for Rural Strategies, Communications Workers of America, NAACP, National Hispanic Media Coalition and OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates National Center (here).