§ 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