January 29, 2026
Source: Federal Communications Commission.
On February 18, 2026, the FCC at its Open Meeting will consider, among other items, a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on the Lifeline program. The Lifeline program provides discounts on voice and broadband services for qualifying low-income Americans. This Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), if adopted, would seek comment on reforms in the Lifeline program to ensure that federal dollars go to eligible Americans, enhance program integrity, ensure that service providers are complying with the Commission’s rules and regulations, and streamline Lifeline rules.
As to accessibility, the FCC seeks comment on the following:
- To better inform possible changes to individual minimum service standards, have service providers explored options to support the need for increased usage allowances for Lifeline subscribers who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability and rely on video connection for Video Relay Services and point-to-point calls and other bandwidth-intensive accessibility functions?
- Would ending support for voice-only services through the Lifeline program affect accessibility for certain individuals with disabilities?
The February 2026 Open Meeting is scheduled for 10:30 [AM Eastern Time] on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, and will be held in the Commission Meeting Room, 45 L Street N.E., Washington, D.C. 20554. The FCC meeting is also streamed at fcc.gov/live. Open captioning and sign language interpreting will be provided for this meeting. Other reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities are available upon request. E-mail your request to fcc504@fcc.gov or call (202) 418-0530.
Link to the Announcement of the February Open Meeting Agenda: fcc.gov/document/fcc-announces-tentative-agenda-february-open-meeting-11
Link to the Draft Lifeline NPRM: docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-418282A1.pdf
For general information about the Lifeline program visit: fcc.gov/lifeline-consumers. For additional information on this proceeding, please contact Eric Wu, Telecommunications Access Policy Division, Wireline Competition Bureau at (202) 418-1543 or eric.wu@fcc.gov. Individuals who use videophones and are fluent in American Sign Language (ASL) may call the FCC’s ASL Consumer Support Line at (844) 432-2275 (videophone).
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