Announcements
September 1, 2023
Relief to Lifeline and ACP Participants Affected by Hurricane Idalia
On September 1, 2023, the Wireline Competition Bureau (WCB) of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released an Order (DA 23-805) that temporarily waives the non-usage, de-enrollment for non-usage, and annual recertification requirements under the Lifeline and ACP rules for participants in Florida and South Carolina in the Affected Disaster Areas.
The waiver period under this order is through November 30, 2023. At the end of the waiver period, recertification efforts will resume. Subscribers residing in the Affected Disaster Areas and who are subject to the non-usage rule will have 30 days (beginning on December 1, 2023) to use their Lifeline and/or ACP service. If the subscriber does not use their service during the 30-day period, the 15-day notice period will begin on December 31, 2023.
This waiver also pauses the reverification requirements for Lifeline subscribers in the impacted area through November 30, 2023.
August 30, 2023
August 2023 Lifeline Newsletter
August Monthly Newsletter Headlines:
- Bureau Waives Broadband Program Rules for Hawaii Wildfires
- Bureau Also Offers Relief to Lifeline Participants Affected by Hawaii Wildfires
- National Verifier Legacy URLs
- New Duplicate Benefit Qualifying Person (BQP) Error Codes
- September Maintenance Schedule
- September Webinar: Consumer Advocate Training
August 28, 2023
Hawai’i Wildfires Waiver
On August 25, 2023, the Federal Communications Commission adopted Order 23-67A1 temporarily waiving the Lifeline eligibility requirements in section 54.409(a)-(b) to ensure that consumers who are participating in FEMA’s Individuals and Households Program (IHP) , as a result of the Hawai’i wildfires, can apply for and enroll in the Lifeline program.
Under the current disaster declaration, only consumers in Maui County may be eligible for individual assistance, but if the scope of households eligible for support through FEMA’s IHP expands to cover other geographic areas in response to the Hawai’i Wildfires, the eligibility waiver would also extend to these consumers.
Consumers will be able to enroll using this waiver through February 25, 2024. USAC is taking steps to implement the waiver and allow consumers to submit appropriate documentation to enter the Lifeline program. Consumers applying for Lifeline under this waiver are not permitted to enroll in the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP).
All service providers are encouraged to inform impacted consumers about this opportunity and work to support relief efforts throughout the impacted areas of Hawai’i.
To Learn more see FCC Order 23-67A1.
August 23, 2023
System Notice: Additional Maintenance
Users of the National Lifeline Accountability Database (NLAD), National Verifier Portal (NV), and National Verifier Carrier API users may encounter intermittent disruption due to system maintenance starting at 10 p.m. ET on Thursday, August 31 until Friday, September 1 at 4 a.m. ET.
The monthly maintenance on September 22, 2023 remains as scheduled.
We apologize for the inconvenience.
Note: All scheduled maintenance dates for NLAD and NV are available on the USAC website.
August 18, 2023
Hawaii Wildfires Response
On August 18, 2023, the FCC released Order DA 23-723, waiving certain Affordable Connectivity Program, Lifeline, E-Rate, Emergency Connectivity Fund, Rural Health Care, High Cost, and Universal Service Fund contributors rules and deadlines to assist program participants and providers located in the State of Hawaii in areas affected by the wildfires. To learn more, see Order DA 23-723.
August 16, 2023
August Monthly Maintenance
NLAD Maintenance
The National Lifeline Accountability Database (NLAD), Lifeline Claims System (LCS), Representative Accountability Database (RAD), and the Affordable Connectivity Claims System (ACCS) will be unavailable due to scheduled monthly maintenance starting Friday, August 18 from 10 p.m. until Saturday, August 19 at 2 a.m. ET.
NV Maintenance
The National Verifier (NV) will be unavailable due to scheduled monthly maintenance starting Friday, August 18 from 10 p.m. until Saturday, August 19 at 3 a.m. ET.
NV, NLAD, LCS, RAD, and ACCS staging and production environments will not be available for use during this time.
Note: All scheduled maintenance dates for NLAD and NV are available on the USAC website.
July 31, 2023
July 2023 Lifeline Newsletter
July Monthly Newsletter Headlines:
- Voice-Only Phase-Out Paused for a Year and Minimum Service Standards Continue at Current Levels
- Medicaid Renewal Process
- Relief to Lifeline Participants Affected by Typhoon Mawar
- New Duplicate Benefit Qualifying Person (BQP) Error Codes
- Lifeline Program Compliance Reminder: Available Resources for Service Providers
- August Maintenance Schedule
- August Webinar: Lifeline Compliance System (LCS) 101
View full newsletter
July 19, 2023
Man Who Created False Lifeline and Affordable Connectivity Program Eligibility Scam Begins Sentence
Michigan Office of the Attorney General
LANSING – Dewan Williams, 47, of Detroit, turned himself in to the custody of Michigan Department of Corrections last week to begin serving out his 2-20 year sentence for operating a sophisticated state and federal benefits scheme that cost the State of Michigan $11 million. Williams was sentenced in February in the 3rd Circuit Court on one count of Conducting a Criminal Enterprise, a 20-year felony, and one count of Identity Theft, a 5-year felony, for using personal information stolen from thousands of identity theft victims to defraud the State and financially benefit himself. He was also ordered to pay restitution.
“The threat of identity theft is real, and I urge Michigan residents to educate and protect themselves against potential victimization,” said Nessel at the time of sentencing. “My Michigan Identity Theft Support team, known as MITS, stands ready to assist victims of identity theft in recovering from the impact of this crime and my team of prosecutors will continue to work to hold perpetrators accountable.”
Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the Michigan State Police conducted a joint investigation and determined Williams was conducting a sophisticated scheme where he used fraudulently approved Medicaid benefits to qualify for and receive free government cell phones. After receiving the phones, Williams would activate and sell them for a personal profit.
As a result of the investigation, approximately 150 new and pre-packaged Safelink Wireless phones were recovered from Williams’ home along with personal information stolen from approximately 7,000 identity theft victims. The submission of these fraudulent applications cost the State of Michigan $11 million in unnecessary payments. After the accounts were determined to be fraudulent, they were shut down and the State was able to recoup the money.
July 14, 2023
Voice-Only Phase-Out and Minimum Service Standards
On July 7, the Wireline Competition Bureau paused the phase-out of Lifeline support for voice-only services for an additional year. As such, the basic Lifeline support of $5.25 remains available to eligible consumers who subscribe to voice-only service until at least December 1, 2024.
The Bureau also paused the Lifeline minimum service standard for mobile broadband data capacity for an additional year. As such, the minimum service standard for mobile broadband data capacity will remain at 4.5 GB per month until at least December 1, 2024.
July 12, 2023
July 2023 Monthly Maintenance
July 14 Maintenance
The National Lifeline Accountability Database (NLAD), National Verifier (NV), Lifeline Claims System (LCS), Representative Accountability Database (RAD), and the Affordable Connectivity Claims System (ACCS) will be unavailable due to scheduled monthly maintenance starting Friday, July 14 from 10 p.m. until Saturday, July 15 at 2 a.m. ET.
July 21 Maintenance
The National Lifeline Accountability Database (NLAD), National Verifier (NV), Lifeline Claims System (LCS), Representative Accountability Database (RAD), and the Affordable Connectivity Claims System (ACCS) will be unavailable due to scheduled monthly maintenance starting Friday, July 21 from 10 p.m. until Saturday, July 22 at 2 a.m. ET.
NV, NLAD, LCS, RAD, and ACCS staging and production environments will not be available for use during this time for both maintenance.
Note: All scheduled maintenance dates for NLAD and NV are available on the USAC website.
July 6, 2023
USAC Relationship with Program Consultants
Some Universal Service Fund program applicants choose to employ consultants during the program application process. Please be advised that USAC does not affiliate or endorse individual consultants to support Universal Service Fund program applicants. Consultants who work with USF program applicants may not state or imply that their services are endorsed or recommended by USAC. If you have questions about USAC programs and the resources available to support applicants, please visit the program homepages.
June 30, 2023
Typhoon Mawar Response
On June 30, 2023, the FCC released Order DA 23-571, waiving various provisions of the Lifeline, Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), E-Rate, Rural Health Care (RHC), and High Cost rules for those FCC programs’ participants and for USF contributors located in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands in response to the damage caused by Typhoon Mawar. To learn more, see FCC Order DA 23-571.
June 29, 2023
June 2023 Monthly Newsletter
June Monthly Newsletter Headlines:
- FCC Form 481 Due July 3, 2023
- Enhancements to the Lifeline Claims System (LCS)
- Lifeline Program Compliance Reminder: Non-Usage
- July Maintenance Schedule
- July Webinar: Lifeline Compliance and Audit Findings
View full newsletter
June 21, 2023
June 2023 Monthly Maintenance
The National Lifeline Accountability Database (NLAD), National Verifier (NV), Lifeline Claims System (LCS), Representative Accountability Database (RAD), and the Affordable Connectivity Claims System (ACCS) will be unavailable due to scheduled monthly maintenance starting Friday, June 23 from 10 p.m. until Saturday, June 24 at 2 a.m. ET.
NV, NLAD, LCS, RAD, and ACCS staging and production environments will not be available for use during this time.
Note: All scheduled maintenance dates for NLAD and NV are available on the USAC website.
May 18, 2023
May 2023 Monthly Newsletter
May Monthly Newsletter Headlines:
- Change to the National Verifier URL
- FCC Form 481 Due July 1, 2023
- Recertification Notice
- Lifeline Program Compliance Reminder: Study Area Code (SAC)
- June Maintenance Schedule
- June Webinar: Account Management in Lifeline Systems
View full newsletter
May 17, 2023
May 2023 Monthly Maintenance Schedule
The National Lifeline Accountability Database (NLAD), National Verifier (NV), Lifeline Claims System (LCS), Representative Accountability Database (RAD), and the Affordable Connectivity Claims System (ACCS) will be unavailable due to scheduled monthly maintenance starting Friday, May 19 from 10 p.m. until Saturday, May 20 at 6 a.m. ET.
NLAD, NV, LCS, RAD, and ACCS staging and production environments will not be available for use during this time.
Note: All scheduled maintenance dates for NLAD and NV are available on the USAC website.
April 28, 2023
Recertification Notice
Recertification is an annual requirement for Lifeline subscribers. USAC conducts recertification to ensure that active Lifeline subscribers, including those who also participate in the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), are still eligible for the Lifeline benefit.
Starting Monday, May 1, 2023, USAC will initiate automated eligibility database checks to verify the eligibility of subscribers due for recertification in 2023. This process will occur over the course of a few months.
- Subscribers who pass the automated check will complete the 2023 recertification requirement and will not need to take any action for their 2023 recertification.
- Subscribers who fail the automated check will be required to recertify their continued eligibility through a manual process. USAC will conduct outreach to those subscribers.
Subscribers who participate in both Lifeline and Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) and pass the USAC-conducted Lifeline recertification process will not need to undergo a separate ACP recertification process.
What This Means for Service Providers
Service providers should regularly monitor the “Recertification Subscriber Status Report” in the National Lifeline Accountability Database (NLAD) to identify subscribers undergoing recertification. This report will update daily to reflect the results of the automated checks.
USAC encourages service providers to educate subscribers about USAC and why we are reaching out to them, and our recertification process. However, service providers should not provide or estimate deadlines, as these deadlines are subject to change.
To learn more about the recertification process, visit the Recertification webpage or view the Recertification 101 training.
What This Means for Subscribers
Starting in May, USAC will conduct outreach to subscribers who fail the automated eligibility checks. Subscribers will have an approximately 60-day window to recertify through a manual process.
If a subscriber receives a letter in the mail from USAC, they must take action to recertify their benefit. Subscribers will need to complete the Lifeline Recertification Form (English and Spanish). Some subscribers will need to provide income or eligibility documentation to prove their continued eligibility for the program. USAC will notify subscribers if they need to provide documentation.
April 27, 2023
April 2023 Lifeline Newsletter
April Monthly Newsletter Headlines:
- Enhancements to National Lifeline Accountability Database (NLAD) Transaction History
- Reminder: New P.O. Box Address for ACP and Lifeline Customer Support Centers (CSC)
- Lifeline Program Compliance Reminder: Annual Filings
- April Maintenance Schedule
- May Webinar: NLAD 101 (Part 2)
View full newsletter
April 21, 2023
April 2023 Monthly Maintenance Schedule
NLAD Maintenance
The National Lifeline Accountability Database (NLAD), Lifeline Claims System (LCS), Representative Accountability Database (RAD), and the Affordable Connectivity Claims System (ACCS) will be unavailable due to scheduled monthly maintenance starting Friday, April 21 from 10 p.m. until Saturday, April 22 at 2 a.m. ET.
NLAD, LCS, RAD, and ACCS staging and production environments will not be available for use during this time.
NV Maintenance
The National Verifier (NV) will also be unavailable due to scheduled monthly maintenance starting Friday, April 21 from 10 p.m. until Saturday, April 22 at 3 a.m. ET.
NV staging and production environments will not be available for use during this time.
Note: All scheduled maintenance dates for NLAD and NV are available on the USAC website.
April 3, 2023
March 2023 Lifeline Newsletter
March Monthly Newsletter Headlines:
- New P.O. Box Address for ACP and Lifeline Customer Support Centers (CSC)
- Adjusted Lifeline Income Qualifications for 2023
- Lifeline National Verifier Quarterly Eligibility Data
- Reminder: New RAD Documentation Process; Old Process Deactivated
- Lifeline Program Compliance Reminder: RAD Annual Agreement
- April Maintenance Schedule
- April Webinar: NLAD 101
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