Goto Section: 54.403 | 54.405 | Table of Contents
FCC 54.404
Revised as of October 1, 2013
Goto Year:2012 |
2014
§ 54.404 The National Lifeline Accountability Database.
(a) State certification. An eligible telecommunications carrier
operating in a state that provides an approved valid certification to
the Commission in accordance with this section is not required to
comply with the requirements set forth in paragraphs (b) and (c) of
this section with respect to the eligible telecommunications carriers'
subscribers in that state. A valid certification must include a
statement that the state has a comprehensive system in place to prevent
duplicative federal Lifeline support that is at least as robust as the
system adopted by the Commission and that incorporates information from
all eligible telecommunications carriers receiving low-income support
in the state and their subscribers. A valid certification must also
describe in detail how the state system functions and for each
requirement adopted by the Commission to prevent duplicative support,
how the state system performs the equivalent functions. The
certification must be submitted to the Commission no later than six
months from the effective date of this section of the Commission's
rules to be valid. Such certification will be considered approved
unless the Wireline Competition Bureau rejects the certification within
90 days of filing.
(b) The National Lifeline Accountability Database. In order to receive
Lifeline support, eligible telecommunications carriers operating in
states that have not provided the Commission with approved valid
certification pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section must comply
with the following requirements:
(1) All eligible telecommunications carriers must query the National
Lifeline Accountability Database to determine whether a prospective
subscriber who has executed a certification pursuant to § 54.410(d) is
currently receiving a Lifeline service from another eligible
telecommunications carrier; and whether anyone else living at the
prospective subscriber's residential address is currently receiving a
Lifeline service.
(2) If the Database indicates that a prospective subscriber, who is not
seeking to port his or her telephone number, is currently receiving a
Lifeline service, the eligible telecommunications carrier must not
provide and shall not seek or receive Lifeline reimbursement for that
subscriber.
(3) If the Database indicates that another individual at the
prospective subscriber's residential address is currently receiving a
Lifeline service, the eligible telecommunications carrier must not seek
and will not receive Lifeline reimbursement for providing service to
that prospective subscriber, unless the prospective subscriber has
certified, pursuant to § 54.410(d) that to the best of his or her
knowledge, no one in his or her household is already receiving a
Lifeline service.
(4) An eligible telecommunications carrier is not required to comply
with paragraphs (b)(1) through (3) of this section if it receives
notice from a state Lifeline administrator or other state agency that
the administrator or other agency has queried the Database about a
prospective subscriber and that providing the prospective subscriber
with a Lifeline benefit would not result in duplicative support.
(5) Eligible telecommunications carriers may query the Database only
for the purposes provided in paragraphs (b)(1) through (b)(3) of this
section, and to determine whether information with respect to its
subscribers already in the Database is correct and complete.
(6) Eligible telecommunications carriers must transmit to the Database
in a format prescribed by the Administrator each new and existing
Lifeline subscriber's full name; full residential address; date of
birth and the last four digits of the subscriber's Social Security
number or Tribal Identification number, if the subscriber is a member
of a Tribal nation and does not have a Social Security number; the
telephone number associated with the Lifeline service; the date on
which the Lifeline service was initiated; the date on which the
Lifeline service was terminated, if it has been terminated; the amount
of support being sought for that subscriber; and the means through
which the subscriber qualified for Lifeline.
(7) In the event that two or more eligible telecommunications carriers
transmit the information required by this paragraph to the Database for
the same subscriber, only the eligible telecommunications carrier whose
information was received and processed by the Database first, as
determined by the Administrator, will be entitled to reimbursement from
the Fund for that subscriber.
(8) All eligible telecommunications carriers must update an existing
Lifeline subscriber's information in the Database within ten business
days of receiving any change to that information, except as described
in paragraph (b)(10) of this section.
(9) All eligible telecommunications carriers must obtain, from each new
and existing subscriber, consent to transmit the subscriber's
information. Prior to obtaining consent, the eligible
telecommunications carrier must describe to the subscriber, using
clear, easily understood language, the specific information being
transmitted, that the information is being transmitted to the
Administrator to ensure the proper administration of the Lifeline
program, and that failure to provide consent will result in subscriber
being denied the Lifeline service.
(10) When an eligible telecommunications carrier de-enrolls a
subscriber, it must transmit to the Database the date of Lifeline
service de-enrollment within one business day of de-enrollment.
(c) Tribal Link Up and the National Lifeline Accountability Database.
In order to receive universal service support reimbursement for Tribal
Link Up, eligible telecommunications carriers operating in states that
have not provided the Commission with a valid certification pursuant to
paragraph (a) of this section, must comply with the following
requirements:
(1) Such eligible telecommunications carriers must query the Database
to determine whether a prospective Link Up recipient who has executed a
certification pursuant to § 54.410(d) has previously received a Link
Up benefit at the residential address provided by the prospective
subscriber.
(2) If the Database indicates that a prospective subscriber has
received a Link Up benefit at the residential address provided by the
subscriber, the eligible telecommunications provider must not seek Link
Up reimbursement for that subscriber.
(3) An eligible telecommunications carrier is not required to comply
with paragraphs (c)(1) through (c)(2) of this section, if it receives
notice from a state Lifeline administrator or other state agency that
the administrator or other agency has queried the Database about a
prospective subscriber and that providing the prospective subscriber
with a Link Up benefit would not result in duplicative support or
support to a subscriber who had already received Link Up support at
that residential address.
(4) All eligible telecommunications carriers must transmit to the
Database in a format prescribed by the Administrator each new and
existing Link Up recipient's full name; residential address; date of
birth; and the last four digits of the subscriber's Social Security
number, or Tribal identification number if the subscriber is a member
of a Tribal nation and does not have a Social Security number; the
telephone number associated with the Link Up support; and the date of
service activation. Where two or more eligible telecommunications
carriers transmit the information required by this paragraph to the
Database for the same subscriber, only the eligible telecommunications
carrier whose information was received and processed by the Database
first, as determined by the Administrator, will be entitled to
reimbursement from the Fund for that subscriber.
(5) All eligible telecommunications carriers must obtain, from each new
and existing subscriber, consent to transmit the information required
in paragraph (c) of this section. Prior to obtaining consent, the
eligible telecommunications carrier must describe to the subscriber,
using clear, easily understood language, the specific information being
transmitted, that the information is being transmitted to the
Administrator to ensure the proper administration of the Link Up
program, and that failure to provide consent will result in the
subscriber being denied the Link Up benefit.
[ 77 FR 12968 , Mar. 2, 2012]
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Goto Section: 54.403 | 54.405
Goto Year: 2012 |
2014
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