Upcoming Dates

05/13
2026
May 2026 Monthly Webinar

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

Lifeline Newsletter – April 2026

Apr 30, 2026

  • Improved Consumer Experience on LifelineSupport.org
  • FCC Form 481 Training on May 19, 2026
  • SAM.gov UEI Requirement
  • Lifeline Program Compliance Reminder: Consumer Qualification for Lifeline
  • May 2026 Webinar: Understanding and...

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Relief to Lifeline Participants Affected by Sinlaku Weather Events

Apr 28, 2026

On April 23, 2026, the Wireline Competition Bureau (WCB) of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released an...

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LCS System Notice – Resolved

Apr 23, 2026

USAC is aware that the rate field in the claims input template was not pre-populating in the...

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Ad-Hoc System Maintenance

Apr 21, 2026

USAC will perform an ad-hoc system maintenance on Thursday, April 23, from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m....

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LifelineSupport.org Improvements

Apr 17, 2026

USAC is excited to announce that Lifeline’s consumer website LifelineSupport.org has been updated to improve the consumer...

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Read more announcements