FCC expands Lifeline to include broadband

eWeek reports.

Lifeline provides funding for landline telephone services for people who can't afford it or who otherwise could not get phone service because the cost of extending phone service would be too expensive.

The new plan would extend the Lifeline programme to bring broadband Internet access to those same people.

The Journal says Genachowski indicated that broadband "has gone from being a luxury to a necessity in the 21st century", noting that Internet access and digital literacy skills have become critical for job seekers.

Along with a number of reforms aimed at increasing the programme's efficiency, Genachowski's new order would also set a budget for Lifeline to help "eliminate unnecessary spending" and root out waste.

Some in the wireless industry criticised the changes for under-funding mobile broadband and making steep cuts in subsidies for rural operators, CED Magazine notes.

"Defrauding a public programme designed to help our most vulnerable citizens is flat-out wrong and simply unacceptable," Genachowski concluded.