The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is proposing improvements to the lifeline tethering, the two sides of the so-called "digital divide." The estimated 64 million Americans on the wrong side of that divide would be offered subsidized Internet access, which the FCC hopes would keep them from being left behind.
Lifeline was first tossed to the elderly and impoverish in 1985, providing them with assistance for obtaining basic phone service. By the end of 2014, more than 12 million U.S. household were kept current with phone service subsided by up to $9.25 per month by Lifeline.
The program was later updated to provide for subsidized access to basic cell phone service, but now Lifeline is in need of more modernization, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler and Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, said in a blog post on Tuesday.
"We can recite statistics all we want, but we must never lose sight of the fact that what we're really talking about is people - unemployed workers who miss out on jobs that are only listed online, students who go to fast-food restaurants to use the Wi-Fi hotspots to do homework, veterans who are unable to apply for their hard-earned benefits, seniors who can't look up health information when they get sick," the blog post states.
The FCC hasn't submitted its proposal for consideration, but the two administrators described three facets that'll frame the foundation of the proposal.
For starters, the FCC wants to readjust the minimum standards of Lifeline to include both voice and broadband.
The FCC also wants to strip outdated stipulations and "administrative burdens" from Lifeline to make it easier for ISPs (Internet Service Providers) to participate in the program.
And relating to that last measure, the FCC wants to establish a "National Eligibility Verifier" that'll work independently. It'll have the verification of applicants so that there's one less excuse for ISPs to opt out of participating in Lifeline.
"We can do better -- we must do better," reads the blog post. "Indeed, Congress told us to do better. By modernizing the FCC's Lifeline program, we will do better."
On March 31, the FCC will put the proposal to a vote and the rest of the commissioners will weigh in on it.
