CPUC to Vote April 21 on LifeLine Changes

The California Public Utilities Commission may vote April 21 on a state LifeLine proposed decision to implement a 2021 law to require various LifeLine enrollment and recertification processes, and adopt other staff recommendations. The Monday proposal in docket R.20-02-008 would eliminate "use of a PIN for all renewals completed through database matching and for all participants with personal identification information on file as of the date the renewals suspension concludes," and "implement recertification without a Commission-issued PIN for participants without a database match or personal identification information on file by" Dec. 31, 2023. Also in the LifeLine docket Monday, Administrative Law Judge Stephanie Wang sought comment on a staff proposal on interaction among California LifeLine, federal Lifeline and the federal affordable connectivity program. Comments are due April 14, replies April 28. Wang asked if staff is right that the $30 ACP subsidy provides affordable wireless and broadband without needing a California LifeLine subsidy, and that minimum prices for wireline voice and broadband bundles meeting federal Lifeline minimum service standards “generally exceed” combined ACP, Lifeline and LifeLine support. Wang also wants feedback on other aspects of staff’s plan, including a proposal to use ACP subsidies to reduce state costs and use savings to expand access to voice-broadband bundles, and a suggestion to set a LifeLine specific support amount of zero dollars to wireless service plans that receive an ACP subsidy but keep the current SSA for wireline plans even if they get an ACP subsidy.