§  54.405   Carrier obligation to offer Lifeline.

   All eligible telecommunications carriers shall:

   (a) Make available one Lifeline service, as defined in § 54.401, per
   qualifying low-income consumer that is not currently receiving Lifeline
   service from that or any other eligible telecommunications carrier, and

   (b) Publicize the availability of Lifeline service in a manner
   reasonably designed to reach those likely to qualify for the service.

   (c) Notify Lifeline subscribers of impending termination of Lifeline
   service if the carrier has a reasonable basis to believe that the
   subscriber no longer meets the Lifeline-qualifying criteria, as
   described in § 54.409. Notification of impending termination shall be
   in the form of a letter separate from the subscriber's monthly bill. A
   carrier providing Lifeline service in a state that has dispute
   resolution procedures applicable to Lifeline termination, that
   requires, at a minimum, written notification of impending termination,
   must comply with the applicable state requirements.

   (d) Allow subscribers 60 days following the date of the impending
   termination letter required in paragraph (c) of this section in which
   to demonstrate continued eligibility. Subscribers making such a
   demonstration must present proof of continued eligibility to the
   carrier consistent with applicable state or federal verification
   requirements, as described in § 54.410(c). Carriers must terminate
   subscribers who fail to demonstrate continued eligibility within the
   60-day time period. A carrier providing Lifeline service in a state
   that has dispute resolution procedures applicable to Lifeline
   termination must comply with the applicable state requirements.

   (e) De-enrollment. Notwithstanding § 54.405(c) and (d) of this section,
   upon notification by the Administrator to any ETC in any state that a
   subscriber is receiving Lifeline service from another eligible
   telecommunications carrier and should be de-enrolled from participation
   in that ETC's Lifeline program, the ETC shall de-enroll the subscriber
   from participation in that ETC's Lifeline program within 5 business
   days. An ETC shall not be eligible for Lifeline reimbursement as
   described in § § 54.403 and 54.407 for any de-enrolled subscriber
   following the date of that subscriber's de-enrollment.

   [ 65 FR 47905 , Aug. 4, 2000, as amended at  69 FR 34600 , June 22, 2004;
    76 FR 38046 , June 29, 2011]