IV 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 340 

Expressing the support of Congress for National Telephone Discount Lifeline 

Awareness Week. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 10, 2013 

Ms. MATSUI submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Energy and Commerce 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the support of Congress for National Telephone 

Discount Lifeline Awareness Week. 

Whereas under the direction of Congress, the Federal Communications Commission (‘‘FCC’’) and the State public 

utility commissions have joined in a collaborative effort to 

make basic telephone service more affordable for the Nation’s low-income consumers by providing a discount; 

Whereas the universal service Lifeline program offers tremendous benefits for eligible consumers residing in urban, 

rural, suburban, and Tribal areas in the United States 

and makes basic telephone service (wireline and wireless) 

more affordable; 

Whereas in 1984, 80 percent of low-income households had 

telephone service, compared with 95 percent of non-lowincome households, and since the inception of Lifeline in 


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•HRES 340 IH 

1985, that 15-percent gap had narrowed to 4 percent by 

2011; 

Whereas the FCC has reformed the Lifeline program in recent years to improve program efficiency and combat 

waste, fraud, and abuse to ensure that only eligible lowincome consumers are receiving this vital support, including a requirement that every recipient show proof of eligibility at sign-up and recertify eligibility on an annual 

basis; 

Whereas consumers should not be without basic telephone 

service due to the inability to afford such service, thus 

the promotion of the Lifeline program is imperative to 

ensure that all United States consumers have access to 

affordable basic telephone service and the benefits in an 

emergency that such service provides; 

Whereas Acting FCC Chairwoman Mignon Clyburn stated on 

April 23, 2013, ‘‘Those who can benefit the most from 

high-speed Internet should have the means to purchase 

it, but when they don’t, not only is it not fair, the negative impact on our society and economy is immeasurable.’’; 

Whereas according to the Pew Research Center Home 

Broadband 2013 Report, nearly 1 in 3 United States citizens still do not subscribe to broadband services at home; 

Whereas the National Broadband Plan found that 36 percent 

of non-adopters, or 28,000,000 United States citizens, 

said they do not have home broadband service because of 

the cost of the service, the cost of the installation of the 

service, or the cost of a computer; 

Whereas the National Broadband Plan, as a central recommendation to increase broadband adoption rates, recVerDate Mar 15 2010 01:57 Sep 11, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR340.IH HR340

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•HRES 340 IH 

ommends the expansion of Link-Up and Lifeline for universal broadband adoption to help bridge the digital divide; 

Whereas the FCC has launched a broadband pilot program 

to test different ways to bridge the digital divide so lowincome consumers can have access to broadband; 

Whereas Congress, the FCC, the National Association of 

Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC), the National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates 

(NASUCA), other State and Federal agencies, cities, 

counties, organizations, and telecommunications companies are committed to increasing awareness about the 

availability of the Lifeline program and are encouraging 

eligible consumers to sign up for the programs; 

Whereas, because millions of United States consumers are 

struggling financially during the recent economic downturn, programs, such as the Lifeline program, are even 

more essential for eligible low-income consumers to connect to and stay connected to the telecommunications 

network; and 

Whereas NARUC and NASUCA, in cooperation with the 

FCC, have joined together to designate the first full week 

in September following the week of Labor Day as ‘‘National Telephone Discount Lifeline Awareness Week’’ and 

to implement a comprehensive outreach plan to promote 

Lifeline awareness and educate current and potential 

subscribers about new eligibility rules and annual recertification requirements by providing a discount on monthly recurring charges and, for eligible Tribal customers, on 

the connection fee as well: Now, therefore, be it 


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•HRES 340 IH 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep2 resentatives that— 

3 (1) the national interest of the United States is 

4 served by further outreach, education, and participa5 tion in the Lifeline program by eligible low-income 

6 consumers; 

7 (2) the FCC should be commended for efforts 

8 to improve the Lifeline program’s efficiency and ad9 dressing waste, fraud, and abuse in the program to 

10 ensure that vital Federal resources are only going to 

11 those who are truly eligible; 

12 (3) the Lifeline program provides a valuable 

13 service to low-income consumers in the United 

14 States; 

15 (4) the Lifeline program should be modernized 

16 to allow eligible low-income consumers to access af17 fordable telephone or broadband services; 

18 (5) the FCC, NARUC, and NASUCA are to be 

19 commended for their initiative in creating ‘‘National 

20 Telephone Discount Lifeline Awareness Week’’ to 

21 promote Lifeline subscribership; and 

22 (6) Congress supports such initiative across the 

23 Nation. 

Æ 


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