(Sept 30) In an ex parte meeting with FCC staff on September 28, 2021, NTCA emphasized that many low-income consumers continue to rely on voice service as an affordable method of contacting health care providers, government agencies, and public safety. This, combined with the fact that low-income consumers have not migrated to voice/broadband bundles to the extent that the Commission predicted in 2016 and USAC data sometimes incorrectly identifying multiple Lifeline providers in census blocks, all weigh in favor of continued Lifeline support for voice-only service.
