Sec.  54.410   Certification and Verification of Consumer Qualification for
Lifeline.

   (a) Certification of income. Consumers qualifying under an income-based
   criterion must present documentation of their household income prior to
   enrollment in Lifeline.

   (1)  By  one  year  from  the  effective date of these rules, eligible
   telecommunications carriers in states that mandate state Lifeline support
   must  comply  with state certification procedures to document consumer
   income-based eligibility for Lifeline prior to that consumer's enrollment if
   the consumer is qualifying under an income-based criterion.

   (2)  By  one  year  from  the  effective date of these rules, eligible
   telecommunications carriers in states that do not mandate state Lifeline
   support   must   implement   certification   procedures   to  document
   consumer-income-based eligibility for Lifeline prior to that consumer's
   enrollment if the consumer is qualifying under the income-based criterion
   specified in  Sec. 54.409(b). Acceptable documentation of income eligibility
   includes the prior year's state, federal, or tribal tax return, current
   income  statement from an employer or paycheck stub, a Social Security
   statement of benefits, a Veterans Administration statement of benefits, a
   retirement/pension  statement  of  benefits, an Unemployment/Workmen's
   Compensation statement of benefits, federal or tribal notice letter of
   participation in General Assistance, a divorce decree, child support, or
   other official document. If the consumer presents documentation of income
   that does not cover a full year, such as current pay stubs, the consumer
   must present three consecutive months worth of the same types of document
   within that calendar year.

   (b)  Self-certifications.  After  income  certification procedures are
   implemented, eligible telecommunications carriers and consumers are required
   to make certain self-certifications, under penalty of perjury, relating to
   the Lifeline program.

   (1) An officer of the eligible telecommunications carrier in a state that
   mandates  state  Lifeline  support  must  certify  that  the  eligible
   telecommunications carrier is in compliance with state Lifeline income
   certification  procedures  and that, to the best of his/her knowledge,
   documentation of income was presented.

   (2) An officer of the eligible telecommunications carrier in a state that
   does not mandate state Lifeline support must certify that the eligible
   telecommunications  carrier  has  procedures in place to review income
   documentation and that, to the best of his/her knowledge, the carrier was
   presented with documentation of the consumer's household income.

   (3) Consumers qualifying for Lifeline under an income-based criterion must
   certify  the number of individuals in their households on the document
   required in  Sec. 54.409(d).

   (c) Verification of continued eligibility. Consumers qualifying for Lifeline
   may be required to verify continued eligibility on an annual basis.

   (1)  By  one  year  from  the  effective date of these rules, eligible
   telecommunications carriers in states that mandate state Lifeline support
   must  comply with state verification procedures to validate consumers'
   continued eligibility for Lifeline.

   (2)  By  one  year  from  the  effective date of these rules, eligible
   telecommunications carriers in states that do not mandate state Lifeline
   support must implement procedures to verify the continued eligibility of a
   statistically valid random sample of their Lifeline consumers to verify
   continued  eligibility  and  provide  the results of the sample to the
   Administrator.  If  verifying  income,  an  officer  of  the  eligible
   telecommunications carrier must certify, under penalty of perjury, that the
   eligible telecommunications carrier has income verification procedures in
   place and that, to the best of his/her knowledge, the carrier was presented
   with corroborating income documentation. In addition, the consumer must
   certify,  under  penalty  of  perjury,  that the consumer continues to
   participate  in  the Lifeline qualifying program or that the presented
   documentation accurately represents the consumer's household income and the
   number of individuals in the household.

   [ 69 FR 34600 , June 22, 2004]

   Effective Date Note:   At  69 FR 34600 , June 22, 2004,  Sec. 54.410 was added.
   This section contains information collection and recordkeeping requirements
   and will not become effective until approval has been given by the Office of
   Management and Budget.