On March 19, 2012, the Tennessee Regulatory Authority will host an informal workshop "to gather information and input  from telecommunications industry members related to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Lifeline Reform Order changes and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeking comments on a number of  proposals to further reform and modernize the  FCC' s universal service Lifeline program."

 

As a universal service program that fulfills Congress’s mandate to ensure the availability of communications to all Americans, Lifeline for the past 25 years has helped tens of millions of low-income Americans afford basic phone service.  Access to telephone service is essential for finding a job, connecting with family, or getting help in an emergency, and the percentage of low-income households with phone service has increased from 80% in 1985, when Lifeline began, to nearly 92% last year.

 

Acting to reform and modernize a program vital to ensuring affordable communications for low-income consumers, the FCC recently approved a comprehensive overhaul of the Lifeline program.

 

 

The workshop will be held in the hearing room at the TRA, located at 460 James Robertson Parkway, beginning at 9:00am CST until 11:30am, then breaking for lunch, with an afternoon session running from 1:00pm - 3:00 pm. Among the various topics for discussion  include  revised  consume r eligibility and enrollment  requirements, Eligible Telecommunications  Carrier ("ETC") regulatory compliance requirements, the Broadband Adoption Pilot Program, and digital literacy training to close the broadband adoption gap. 

 

To register for the workshop or to submit additional agenda topics, please contact Jimmie Hughes: jimmie.hughes@tn.gov or 1-800-342-8359, extension 221.