Upcoming Dates

07/08
2026
July 2026 Monthly Webinar
08/12
2026
August 2026 Monthly Webinar

See full calendar

Resources

How It Works

Lifeline is a federal program that offers a monthly benefit of up to $9.25 towards phone or internet services for eligible subscribers (up to $34.25 for those living on Tribal lands).

Eligible Consumers

A consumer can qualify for the Lifeline benefit if their income is 135% or less than the federal poverty guidelines, or if they participate in SNAP, Medicaid, or other federal programs. See the full list of qualifying factors.

Eligible Services

Lifeline subscribers can apply their benefit to home or mobile phone service or to high-speed broadband.

The Process

These steps will help service providers navigate the process to join Lifeline as an eligible telecommunications carrier (ETC).

1

Become an ETC

2

Create a Compliance Plan

3

Obtain a Study Area Code

4

Obtain a 498 ID

Get Started

Announcements

Reminder: Form 481 Due July 1, 2026

Jun 25, 2026

The 2026 annual FCC Form 481 filing window deadline is Wednesday, July 1, 2026. The FCC Form 481 collects financial and operations information. Eligible telecommunications carriers (ETCs) participating in the High Cost and/or Lifeline programs must annually file the FCC Form 481 in accordance with C.F.R. § 54.313 (High Cost) and 47 C.F.R. § 54.422...

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June Monthly System Maintenance

Jun 24, 2026

USAC will perform a scheduled monthly system maintenance on Friday, June 26, from 10 p.m. to 3...

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California Subscribers Continued Eligibility Slated for August

Jun 16, 2026

Under direction of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and pursuant to the FCC OIG Advisory Regarding...

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Ad-Hoc System Maintenance, June 18

Jun 11, 2026

USAC will perform ad-hoc system maintenance on Thursday, June 18. The following systems are impacted:

On June 5, 2026, the Wireline Competition Bureau (WCB) of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released a...

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Read more announcements