IV 
111TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 1616 
Expressing the support of Congress for National Telephone Discount Lifeline 
Awareness Week. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 14, 2010 
Ms. MATSUI (for herself and Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts) 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 Com-
munications Commission (‘‘FCC’’) and the State public 
utility commissions have joined in a collaborative effort to 
make local telephone service more affordable for the Na-
tion’s low-income consumers by providing a discount on 
the connection fee and monthly recurring charge; 
Whereas the Link-Up America (‘‘Link-Up’’) and Lifeline As-
sistance (‘‘Lifeline’’) programs offer tremendous benefits 
for eligible consumers residing in urban, rural, and sub-
urban areas in the United States and make basic tele-
phone service more affordable; 
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•HRES 1616 IH 
Whereas Link-Up provides an appropriate discount to eligible 
customers on the installation of telephone service in their 
homes and Lifeline provides a discount to eligible low-in-
come customers on their monthly phone bill; 
Whereas consumers should not be without local telephone 
service due to the inability to afford such service, thus 
the promotion of Link-Up and Lifeline is imperative to 
ensure that all United States consumers have access to 
affordable basic local telephone service and the benefits 
in an emergency that such service provides; 
Whereas FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski stated on Feb-
ruary 23, 2010, that ‘‘. . . in the 21st century, a digital 
divide is an opportunity divide. To bolster American com-
petitiveness abroad and to create the jobs of the future 
here at home, we need to make sure that all Americans 
have the skills and means to fully participate in the dig-
ital economy.’’; 
Whereas the FCC’s National Broadband Plan found that 93 
million Americans do not subscribe to broadband services 
at home; 
Whereas the National Broadband Plan found that 36 percent 
of non-adopters, or 28 million Americans, 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 rec-
ommendation to increase broadband adoption rates, rec-
ommends the expansion of Link-Up and Lifeline for uni-
versal broadband adoption to help bridge the digital di-
vide; 
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•HRES 1616 IH 
Whereas about 1⁄3 of consumers eligible for Link-Up and 
Lifeline do not participate in these programs, under-
scoring the need for increased public education to inform 
United States consumers about Link-Up and Lifeline; 
Whereas Congress, the FCC, the National Association of 
Regulatory Utility Commissioners (‘‘NARUC’’), the Na-
tional Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates 
(‘‘NASUCA’’), other State and Federal agencies, cities, 
counties, organizations, and telecommunications compa-
nies are committed to increasing awareness about the 
availability of Link-Up and Lifeline 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 down-
turn, programs, such as Link-Up and Lifeline, are even 
more essential for eligible low-income consumers to con-
nect 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 ‘‘Na-
tional Telephone Discount Lifeline Awareness Week’’ and 
to implement a comprehensive outreach plan to promote 
Link-Up and Lifeline subscribership: Now, therefore, be 
it 
Resolved, That it is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) the national interest of the United States is 
served by further outreach, education, and participa-
tion in Link-Up and Lifeline by eligible low-income 
consumers; 
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