FCC To Halt Expansion of Broadband Subsidies For Poor People (arstechnica.com)

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai announced today that the FCC will be "dropping its legal defense of a new system for expanding broadband subsidies for poor people, and will not approve applications from companies that want to offer the low-income broadband service," reports Ars Technica. The Lifeline program, which has been around for 32 years and "gives poor people $9.25 a month toward communications services," was voted to be expanded last year under FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler. That expansion will now be halted. Ars Technica reports: Pai's decision won't prevent Lifeline subsidies from being used toward broadband, but it will make it harder for ISPs to gain approval to sell the subsidized plans. Last year's decision enabled the FCC to approve new Lifeline Broadband Providers nationwide so that ISPs would not have to seek approval from each state's government. Nine providers were approved under the new system late in former FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler's term, but Pai rescinded those approvals in February. There are 36 pending applications from ISPs before the commission's Wireline Competition Bureau. However, Pai wrote today, "I do not believe that the Bureau should approve these applications." He argues that only state governments have authority from Congress to approve such applications. When defending his decision to revoke Lifeline approvals for the nine companies, Pai said last month that more than 900 Lifeline providers were not affected. But most of those were apparently offering subsidized telephone service only and not subsidized broadband. Currently, more than 3.5 million Americans are receiving subsidized broadband through Lifeline from 259 eligible providers, Pai said in today's statement. About 99.6 percent of Americans who get subsidized broadband through Lifeline buy it from one of the companies that received certification "through a lawful process," Pai wrote. The remaining 0.4 percent apparently need to switch providers or lose service because of Pai's February decision. Only one ISP had already started providing the subsidized service under the new approval, and it was ordered to notify its customers that they can no longer receive Lifeline discounts. Pai's latest action would prevent new providers from gaining certification in multiple states at once, forcing them to go through each state's approval process separately. Existing providers that want to expand to multiple states would have to complete the same state-by-state process.

Comments

I know it's crazy but...

[argStyopa]

...some people might recognize: you know, no matter how much we try to change it, the fact is that poor people get less stuff. Shrug.

If a poor person needs to use high speed broadband (they have computers, right?) then they can go straight to the public library and use it. For free. But generally not for whacking off. Unless you're at the Minneapolis Public Library. Then it's nearly protected 'free speech'.

Re:Why does GOVERNMENT have to do EVERYTHING?!

[the_Bionic_lemming]

Your title is appropriate. People have no idea nowadays what the federal government was supposed to do under the constitution.

Re:Background and the real issue

[Anonymous Coward]

And you certainly don't get to call me a racist, or claim that I'm trying to oppress people, if I don't agree with you.

Oh look, snowflake wants a safe space.
How typical.

Re:Background and the real issue

[Orgasmatron]

Oh, but he does. In fact, the entire "argument" for the left is that you are a racist if you don't agree with them. They have no logic, no reason, nothing but insults. Because that insult worked great. For decades. So their other skills atrophied with disuse.

Now they are facing a new right - an alt-right - one that, if polite, responds to accusations of racism by saying "Yup, I'm racist." in that special tone of voice normally reserved for responding to your 4-year old nephew when he calls you a doodie-head. (The less polite ones know that the correct response is "Fuck you".) And now that their one gun is shooting blanks, they are in a total blind panic, striking out in random directions, some new, like Russiaphobia, and some old, like riots and sedition. What a glorious time to be alive - my ancestors couldn't buy entertainment like this for all the tea in China.

Oh, and for Bruce: Fuck You.