The FCC is asking if it should waive the address requirement in its Lifeline rules for the benefit of qualifying, low-income consumers participating in state-administered Address Confidentiality Programs (ACPs). ACPs allow victims of domestic violence or sexual abuse to keep their residential address confidential from public records. They provide victims with alternate, shared mailing addresses for use on public documents and often include a P.O. Box along with an individualized code tied to each participating consumer.
The FCC’s Lifeline rules require that Eligible Telecommunications Carriers (ETCs) transmit residential addresses to the National Lifeline Accountability Database (NLAD) and do not permit subscribers to use P.O. Boxes as their residential address. Under the FCC’s proposal, a potential Lifeline subscriber would provide the ETC with proof that he or she is receiving mail at the address that has been designated by the state as the ACP address. The ETC would then transmit that address to the NLAD as the residential address for that subscriber.
The FCC seeks comment on: (1) the types of official documents that ETCs should accept as proof of ACP enrollment and the address formats used for ACP participants; (2) whether it should also waive the requirement for ACP participants to fill out a one per household worksheet; and (3) whether any additional safeguards are necessary to ensure that any waiver will not increase the likelihood of waste, fraud and abuse. Read the Public Notice here
Comments are due December 5, 2013; reply comments are due December 12, 2013.
