The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is expected to present a new proposal that would extend subsidies to low-income Americans who want to get online.
The five-member commission, which is directed by three Democrats and two Republicans, intends to expand the current “Lifeline” program, which subsidizes income-eligible residents’ cellphone bills, to also encompass billing for Internet service.
The plan dovetails philosophically with the FCC’s recent net neutrality proposal, which regards the Internet not as a luxury but as a necessity. By elevating it to a utility, the commission can argue that low-income Americans who can’t afford to pay for Internet access are being denied access to an indispensable service.
The FCC’s Democratic majority backs the plan, while its two Republican members generally oppose it.
“[T]here is a legitimate debate whether the Lifeline program should be abolished or significantly scaled back rather than expanding its mission,” Republican commissioner Michael O’Rielly wrote recently. “I would be open to having a thoughtful debate on the best way to address a perceived need in this communications area rather than bootstrapping the old program with new responsibilities.”
While O’Rielly wrote those words before the current plan to expand Lifeline was made public, it’s clear that the two ideologies within the FCC are at odds over the proposal.
“Democratic FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, a strong advocate of expanding Lifeline subsidies to Internet service, said it simply recognizes the reality of how people communicate today,” Politico reported Thursday.
“In a nod to criticism of the program’s history of abuses, however, Clyburn wants to make some changes. Phone providers have long had the role of determining who qualifies for the subsidies — an arrangement that’s been at the root of many of the problems. Clyburn wants to set up a different system, in which a person eligible for food stamps or free school lunches automatically qualifies for Lifeline.”
That, though, sounds like the opposite of reform.
Lifeline, begun as a landline subsidy in 1985 but greatly expanded to encompass cellphones in 2005, is funded by a fee added to consumers’ phone bills.
The current plan could come up for a vote at the FCC’s June 18 meeting.
