One decade after the California Public Utilities Commission voted to stop requiring Social Security numbers for applicants of a subsidized cell phone service, the change may soon take place.
The program allows qualifying low-income residents to be credited up to $19 monthly on their existing cellphone bill and up to a $39 toward establishing wireless service. It also eliminates various federal, local, and state surcharges. The program is funded by surcharges to California cellphone users.
A federal Lifeline program also exists for low-income households, offering a credit of up to $9.25 per month, but it requires a Social Security number.
The PUC’s recent move comes after the nonprofit Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles sent a letter on Aug. 30, 2023, requesting the PUC implement its 2014 ruling.
The commission said it first changed its requirements after a 2012 ruling by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that revised its own Lifeline program, requiring the last four digits of applicants’ Social Security numbers.
Concerned the requirement would disqualify some low-income households, the PUC voted to allow Californians without a Social Security number to apply with just a valid government-issued ID.
But applications have continued to ask for Social Security numbers.
Under the proposed change, the commission will continue to offer applications for people who can provide their Social Security numbers, which will make them eligible for both state and federal subsidies. Those without can apply only for the California program.
The commission will vote on the proposal at its Aug. 22 meeting.
Those eligible include recipients of other state public assistance programs, including Section 8 housing, CalFresh, Medi-Cal or Medicaid, the Women, Infants and Children Program, or the National School Lunch Program. Nearly 96 percent of those enrolled in the state lifeline program are verified by their participation in other such programs, according to the commission.
Applicants can also qualify by income, with a family of four needing to earn $48,400 or less to be eligible.
Currently, Lifeline program recipients are credited $100 million to $150 million annually from the state and federal programs, according to the commission.
