WASHINGTON—With millions of people seeking emergency assistance in the wake of devastating hurricanes and tornadoes, the FCC has issued an order allowing storm survivors to get discounted phone and broadband services.
The order was designed to quickly assist those impacted by the storms by temporarily waiving certain eligibility rules so consumers receiving federal disaster assistance can easily apply for and enroll in the Lifeline program, which provides discounts for lower-income households.
The order permits “households not already enrolled in the Lifeline program to enter the program if they are receiving individual assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Individuals and Households Program (IHP) as a result of the impacts of Hurricane Milton or other hurricanes or other tropical weather systems that result in a Presidential declaration of emergency or major disaster that occur during the next six months,” the FCC said in the order.
The Lifeline program offers qualifying low-income consumers discounts on fixed or mobile voice or broadband internet service, as well as on bundled service. Qualifying consumers can receive a $9.25 monthly discount on Lifeline-supported broadband service or a $5.25 monthly discount on Lifeline-supported voice service.
“Generally, the Commission’s rules may be waived for good cause shown,” the order said. “The Commission may exercise its discretion to waive a rule where the particular facts make strict compliance inconsistent with the public interest. In addition, the Commission may take into account considerations of hardship, equity, or more effective implementation of overall policy on an individual basis. We find that good cause exists to waive, for a period of six months from the date of release of this order, the Lifeline eligibility requirements in section 54.409(a)-(b) of the Commission’s rules for households that are receiving individual assistance from FEMA’s IHP as a result of any hurricane or other tropical weather system that is declared during the next six months.”
The FCC said “impacted individuals will have the opportunity to enroll in the Lifeline program using their participation in FEMA IHP as the result of a hurricane or other tropical weather system as the qualifying program for up to six months after a declaration is issued during the six-month waiver period.”
The order also reminded “Eligible Telecommunications Carriers (ETCs) of their obligation to ‘[p]ublicize the availability of Lifeline service in a manner reasonably designed to reach those likely to qualify for the service.’ The Commission expects that ETCs will publicize this opportunity to impacted households and modify their application systems to allow FEMA IHP participants to quickly apply and enroll for the Lifeline program under this waiver.”
