Lifeline Customer Recertification in Massachusetts

1. Lifeline Customer Recertification in Massachusetts Massachusetts Department of Telecommunications and Cable NARUC Staff Subcommittee on Telecommunications Summer Meeting - July 21, 2013

2. Summary of Recertification in MA • 331,120 MA Lifeline subscribers contacted/reviewed for recertification • 109,380 subscribers, or 33% of all those contacted/reviewed, were de-enrolled *Source (throughout): FCC Form 555 (2013)

4. Summary of Recertification in MA • 331,120 MA Lifeline subscribers contacted or reviewed for re-certification • 109,380 subscribers, or 33% of all those contacted or reviewed, were de-enrolled • The average de-enrollment rate for wireless ETCs (29%) was lower than the de-enrollment rate for wireline ETCs (53%)

6. Summary of Recertification in MA • 331,120 MA Lifeline subscribers contacted or reviewed for re-certification • 109,380 subscribers, or 33% of all those contacted or reviewed, were de-enrolled • The average de-enrollment rate for wireless ETCs (29%) was lower than the de-enrollment rate for wireline ETCs (53%) • 92% of de-enrollments were due to subscribers’ failures to respond to ETCs’ direct contact to recertify

7. De-enrollment by Type

8. Summary of Recertification in MA • 331,120 MA Lifeline subscribers contacted or reviewed for re-certification • 109,380 subscribers, or 33% of all those contacted or reviewed, were de-enrolled • The average de-enrollment rate for wireless ETCs (29%) was lower than the de-enrollment rate for wireline ETCs (53%) • 92% of de-enrollments were due to subscribers’ failures to respond to ETCs’ direct contact to recertify • 99.7% of subscribers reviewed by accessing an eligibility database were de-enrolled as ineligible

9. Options? • The Lifeline Reform Order authorized states to “supplement the federal re-certification methodology with their own procedures specifically tailored to state-specific program requirements.” (¶ 140)

10. Options?(for discussion purposes only) • Mandate that USAC perform recertification for ETCs • Require ETCs to check duplicates and/or eligibility database as part of recertification • Require subscribers to prove with documentation that they are still eligible • Require multiple contacts, or certain types of contacts

13. DTC Lifeline Investigation • The DTC sought comment on: • whether the recertification steps outlined in the Lifeline Reform Order are sufficient to encourage response from subscribers and prevent de-enrollment of otherwise eligible Lifeline subscribers • whether ETCs should take more action to retain eligible Lifeline subscribers during the recertification process • Docket D.T.C. 13-4 • mass.gov/dtc

14. Thank you.