§ 54.403   Lifeline support amount.

   (a) The federal Lifeline support amount for all eligible
   telecommunications carriers shall equal:

   (1) Basic support amount. Federal Lifeline support in the amount of
   $9.25 per month will be made available to an eligible
   telecommunications carrier providing Lifeline service to a qualifying
   low-income consumer, if that carrier certifies to the Administrator
   that it will pass through the full amount of support to the qualifying
   low-income consumer and that it has received any non-federal regulatory
   approvals necessary to implement the rate reduction.

   (2) Tribal lands support amount. Additional federal Lifeline support of
   up to $25 per month will be made available to an eligible
   telecommunications carrier providing Lifeline service to an eligible
   resident of Tribal lands, as defined in § 54.400 (e), to the extent
   that the eligible telecommunications carrier certifies to the
   Administrator that it will pass through the full Tribal lands support
   amount to the qualifying eligible resident of Tribal lands and that it
   has received any non-federal regulatory approvals necessary to
   implement the required rate reduction.

   (b) Application of Lifeline discount amount. (1) Eligible
   telecommunications carriers that charge federal End User Common Line
   charges or equivalent federal charges must apply federal Lifeline
   support to waive the federal End User Common Line charges for Lifeline
   subscribers. Such carriers must apply any additional federal support
   amount to a qualifying low-income consumer's intrastate rate, if the
   carrier has received the non-federal regulatory approvals necessary to
   implement the required rate reduction. Other eligible
   telecommunications carriers must apply the federal Lifeline support
   amount, plus any additional support amount, to reduce the cost of any
   generally available residential service plan or package offered by such
   carriers that provides voice telephony service as described in
   § 54.101, and charge Lifeline subscribers the resulting amount.

   (2) Where a subscriber makes only a partial payment to an eligible
   telecommunications carrier for a bundled service package, the eligible
   telecommunications carrier must apply the partial payment first to the
   allocated price of the voice telephony service component of the package
   and then to the cost of any additional services included in the bundled
   package.

   (c) Toll limitation service. An eligible telecommunications carrier
   providing toll limitation service voluntarily elected by Lifeline
   subscribers whose Lifeline plans would otherwise include a fee for
   placing a toll call that would be in addition to the per month or per
   billing cycle price of the subscriber's Lifeline service, shall, for
   April 2012 Lifeline disbursements through December 2013 Lifeline
   disbursements, receive support in an amount equal to the lesser of:

   (1) The eligible telecommunications carrier's incremental cost of
   providing either toll blocking services or toll control services to
   each Lifeline subscriber who has selected such service; or

   (2) The following amounts for each Lifeline subscriber who has selected
   toll blocking services or toll control services:

   (i) $3.00 per month per subscriber during 2012; and

   (ii) $2.00 per month per subscriber during 2013.

   [ 77 FR 12967 , Mar. 2, 2012]

   return arrow Back to Top