Industry Backs Pausing Lifeline Voice Services Phasedown

The FCC should reconsider its decision to phase down Lifeline voice-only support, said stakeholders in reply comments on NASUCA's petition to refresh the record posted Wednesday in docket 11-42. Replies were due Tuesday (see 2106280011). Consumers relying on Lifeline voice services "cannot be ignored," said CTIA. The FCC should pause the phasedown until it can "consider the implementation of [the emergency broadband benefit] program and more fully evaluate additional data concerning how consumers use support for broadband and other services," it said. The FCC has a "social obligation" to assist low-income consumers who rely on voice-only support, said USTelecom, which NTCA, Public Knowledge and Next Century Cities echoed in similar comments. The commission "needs to act now to stop the elimination of voice subsidies to assure a bad situation doesn’t get worse," said NARUC. Some Lifeline-eligible consumers "may be unable to find affordable voice-only services" and are "disproportionately likely" to be consumers of color or with disabilities, said MediaJustice and the Center for Accessibly Technology. The record "shows broad support for retaining voice-only support," said New America's Open Technology Institute, saying voice services "have been crucial" for accessing healthcare services during the pandemic.