NEWS Federal Communications Commission 445 12th Street, S.W. Washington, D. C. 20554 This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action. Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action. See MCI v. FCC. 515 F 2d 385 (D.C. Circ 1974). News Media Information 202 / 418-0500 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov TTY: 1-888-835-5322 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NEWS MEDIA CONTACT: March 21, 2013 Neil Grace, 202-418-0506 Email: neil.grace@fcc.gov STATEMENT FROM FCC CHAIRMAN JULIUS GENACHOWSKI ON PROPOSED SENATE LIFELINE AMENDMENTS Washington, D.C. – The following statement is attributable to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski: “The Lifeline program has helped some of our most vulnerable citizens connect to emergency services, doctors, and family in times of crisis. It has been a literal lifeline for these Americans - - and in today’s era, with a third of Americans having cut the cord to wireline phone service, it’s appropriate that Lifeline supports wireless service. Of course, as in all our Universal Service programs, waste, fraud, or abuse in this program is unacceptable. This FCC inherited a number of USF programs that lacked proper controls, but we acted quickly and aggressively to correct course, saving more than $200 million last year in Lifeline and putting us on track to save $2 billion by the end of 2014. We took these steps precisely because Lifeline is so vital to millions of Americans in need.” -FCC-