The FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau has released a Public Notice to remind eligible telecommunications carriers (ETCs) of their duty to query the National Lifeline Accountability Database (NLAD). The NLAD will be live for the first time for ETCs in the state of Maryland on February 13, 2014. The NLAD will go live for ETCs in other states pursuant to the migration schedule set out by the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC). The Bureau also reminds all ETCs that they must collect and provide to the NLAD the following information for each new and existing Lifeline subscriber:
- The subscriber’s full name;
- Full residential address;
- Date of birth;
- Last four digits of the subscriber’s Social Security number, or of the subscriber’s Tribal Identification number if the subscriber is a member of a Tribal nation and does not have a Social Security number;
- The telephone number associated with the Lifeline service;
- The date on which the Lifeline service was initiated;
- The date on which the Lifeline service was terminated, if it has been terminated;
- The amount of support being sought for that subscriber; and
- The means through which the subscriber qualified for Lifeline.
When the NLAD is live, ETCs will be required to use it to enroll and de-enroll Lifeline subscribers, add Lifeline subscribers that transfer from other ETCs, and edit identifying information for existing Lifeline subscribers. The NLAD is expected to prevent individuals from receiving more than one Lifeline benefit and households from receiving multiple Lifeline benefits.
