The Republican Party, big telecom, and Trump’s FCC have been working on making affordable broadband scarce, and most importantly only profitable to a handful of big business interests. Since Donald Trump came to power and showed his Republican brethren that they can be openly corrupt, Republican legislators have begun working on doing away with subsidized broadband services, Ajit Pai and his stupid face has gotten rid of net neutrality protections and begun hampering low-income broadband service Lifeline. Lifeline is a service that subsidizes low income broadband and phone services by surcharges people pay on their telecommunications’ bills. On Friday, Ajit Pai and his FCC refused to reverse their November 2017 decision to make it considerably harder for Tribal residents to receive a $25-per-month subsidy via the Lifeline program.
The FCC's November vote eliminated the $25 subsidy entirely for Tribal residents who live in urban areas, claiming that the subsidy isn't required to make service affordable in urban settings. (All Tribal residents are still eligible for a $9.25 monthly subsidy through Lifeline.)
In rural areas, the FCC vote barred Tribal residents from using the $25 subsidy to buy telecom service from resellers. About 70 percent of wireless phone users who get Lifeline subsidies buy their plans from resellers rather than from "facilities-based" telecoms that operate their own networks. The FCC vote would thus dramatically limit rural Tribal residents' options for purchasing subsidized service.
Today’s decision was brought about because Tribal organizations and smaller carriers affected by this decision sued to have it reversed; and then asked the FCC to hold off on their act until the courts made a final decision. The lawsuit says that not only did Ajit Pai’s FCC illegally proceed through the decision-making process without properly consulting with Tribal organizations before voting (completely believable when you see how the FCC has lied about every other fake-transparent process under Pai), the decision itself is based on speculations with no evidence.
The FCC, under Pai, argue that cutting off these social services will “stimulate broadband investment” to these areas. This is not backed by any facts. At all. In fact, just like doing away with net neutrality protections has not “stimulated” more broadband investment, and just like cutting corporate and “job creator’s” taxes has not led to more investment, cutting back on the Lifeline program will do nothing more than disconnect people from what is now an essential communications utility.
The FCC decision can begin being implemented as soon as the US Office of Management and Budget approves the decision—which could come in October 2018.