Upcoming Dates

01/14
2026
January 2026 Monthly Webinar
02/11
2026
February 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: December System Maintenance

Dec 17, 2025

USAC will perform an ad-hoc system maintenance on Wednesday, December 17, from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. ET on Thursday, December 18.

The production environments of the following systems are impacted, and users will not be able to perform transactions:

  • National Verifier Portal

    • The FCC Form 555 (Annual Lifeline Eligible Telecommunications Carrier (ETC) Certification form) is now available for the...

    Read More
December System Maintenance

Dec 9, 2025

USAC will perform an ad-hoc system maintenance on Wednesday, December 17, from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m....

Read More
Ad Hoc Maintenance, December 8

Dec 8, 2025

USAC will perform an ad-hoc system maintenance on Monday, December 8 from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET.

The production...

Read More
Service Provider Payment System Unavailable 12/13/2025

Dec 4, 2025

Service providers will not be able to make payments using E-File on Saturday, December 13 from 6...

Read More
Read more announcements