FCC chief says no broadband subsidies for the poor until states get a say
March 29, 2017 | Uncategorized
The FCC won’t resume a program that subsidizes broadband for low-income households until states get a say in how it’s administered, commission chairman Ajit Pai announced this morning.
The program, called Lifeline, was one of the first thing Pai touched after taking the reins as chairman. While Lifeline has for decades provided discounts (currently $9.25 per month) on phone service for households near the poverty line, Pai halted an expansion of the program into broadband subsidies that was approved by his predecessor.
At the time, Pai said he was pausing Lifeline’s expansion so that the commission could first address issues of fraud and abuse. Today he’s offering a new explanation for the program’s delay: he says Congress intended for…
