Upcoming Dates

There are no upcoming dates at this time.

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

Announcements

Ad-hoc System Maintenance, November 15

USAC will perform an ad-hoc system maintenance starting today, Friday, November 15, from 10 p.m. to 8:30 a.m. ET on Saturday, November 16.

Users may experience intermittent performance issues with the following systems:

  • National Verifier Portal
  • ...

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Ad-hoc System Maintenance, November 19

USAC will perform an ad-hoc system maintenance starting on Tuesday, November 19, from 9 p.m. to 1...

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Intermittent Issues in Lifeline Systems Resolved

USAC is aware that users were experiencing unexpected intermittent errors with Lifeline systems, including the National Verifier...

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Intermittent Issues in Lifeline Systems

USAC is aware that users are experiencing intermittent issues performing transactions in Lifeline systems, including the National...

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December 12 Upcoming System Changes to NLAD

On December 12, USAC will make updates to its systems that include changes to the address update...

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