FCC Chairman Pai Must Support Lifeline, Close Digital Divide
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Rafael Medina, [email protected], 202.869.0390
WASHINGTON – Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement in advance of Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai’s April 3 budget hearing before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government. Pai has reportedly proposed to cap the Universal Service Fund programs, which provide essential funding for affordable telecommunications services for low-income households, including Lifeline:
“Millions of Americans rely on the Lifeline program for access to affordable voice and broadband services. These services are essential for full participation in civil society and today’s economy. We strongly oppose a Universal Service Fund cap, which would exacerbate the digital divide and hurt families enrolled in Lifeline. The FCC should be working to bolster, not undermine, the Lifeline program and to close the affordability gap that keeps vulnerable communities disconnected from 21st century communications services.”
Last year, The Leadership Conference and 200 other organizations sent a letter to FCC Chairman Pai urging him to reject new proposals (including a budget cap) that would debilitate the Lifeline program, the only federal program targeted at assisting low-income households with the cost of broadband and telephone service. A cap could limit the number of eligible people who could enroll in the program, denying them access to the tools they need in the 21st century, from closing the homework gap, to accessing educational opportunities, finding work, creating employment opportunities, accessing health care, managing chronic conditions, and much more.
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.