Wicker to Convene Hearing on FCC Lifeline Program

May 22, 2015

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, Innovation, and the Internet, will hold a hearing entitled “Lifeline: Improving Accountability and Effectiveness” on Tuesday, June 2, 2015, at 9:30 a.m.

The hearing will examine the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) progress in reforming Lifeline, a government program that subsidizes monthly telephone services for eligible low-income participants, and how to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse in the program.

The hearing follows a recent report from the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GAO), which made several recommendations regarding the efficiency and effectiveness of the program.

Witnesses:

• Randy May, President, Free State Foundation
• Michael Clements, Acting Director, Physical Infrastructure Issues, Government Accountability Office (GAO)
• Scott Bergmann, Vice President, Regulatory Affairs, CTIA - The Wireless Association
• Commissioner Ronald A. Brisé, Florida Public Service Commission, National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC)
• Jessica Gonzalez, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, National Hispanic Media Coalition

Hearing Details:

WHEN: Tuesday, June 2, 2015, at 9:30 a.m.
WHERE: Senate Russell Office Building, Room 253

A live video of the hearing will be available at: http://commerce.senate.gov.