Lifeline Awareness Week

The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, the National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates (NASUCA), and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), have designated the first week after Labor Day as Lifeline Awareness Week. 

Based on a resolution adopted by the NARUC Board of Directors at the 2009 NARUC Summer Committee Meetings, the week is designed to both raise awareness of and increase participation in Lifeline, a federal/state program that helps make telephone service more affordable for qualified customers. At the 2023 NARUC Summer Policy Summit, a resolution was passed to expand the week to include access to broadband services.

This resource page contains important information about the program, the week itself, and what your Commission can do to get involved. The NARUC Staff Subcommittee on Consumers and the Public Interest helped develop a Lifeline Awareness Week Toolkit that can help guide your efforts.

In today's increasingly interconnected world, telecommunications services provide a vital lifeline to emergency services, friends, and family. No Americans should be offline simply because they cannot afford such services. Lifeline provides crucial financial assistance for qualified low-income consumers so no one gets left out. 

Download the 2024 Lifeline Awareness Week Toolkit

More Resources

• Informational Video
• Infographic
• Social Media Cards

FCC Lifeline Information

• FCC Lifeline Consumer Information
• FCC Lifeline Program Modernization 
• Universal Service Administrative Company Lifeline website  

Lifeline Statistics and Information from the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC)

• USAC data on lifeline participation rate by state
• USAC data on Lifeline participation rate by Competitive Eligible Telecommunications Carriers (CETCs) and Incumbent Local Exchange Carriers (ILECs) (XLS file)
• Lifeline eligibility information