STATEMENT OF
COMMISSIONER ROBERT M. McDOWELL
RE: Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service, CC Docket No. 96-45, Lifeline and Link-Up, 
WC Docket No. 03-109, Lifeline and Link-Up Reform and Modernization, WC Docket No. 11-18
If I’ve learned one thing in my nearly five years on the Commission, it is that our work on 
universal service reform is a bit like painting the Golden Gate Bridge:  a project that is always underway 
and never seems to end.  During my time here, I have advocated for a comprehensive review of all of the 
programs with a primary goal being curbing the growth of expenditures.  As such, today’s initiation to 
revamp the Lifeline/Linkup program is a critical part of our overall reform efforts, and I commend the 
Chairman for launching this Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.  
The original goal of the Lifeline/Linkup program was a noble one: to provide an opportunity for 
Americans with limited means to stay connected to the rest of the world through basic phone service.  
This program has improved many lives by not only allowing for everyday communications, but it has also 
helped save lives by allowing consumers to place emergency calls.  
Nonetheless, we cannot ignore the fact that the size of the Lifeline/Linkup program has steadily 
and dramatically increased.  In 1997, the total support for the program was $162 million, and in 2010 it 
had risen to $1.3 billion.  This trend is unsustainable.  It is encouraging to see that this proceeding 
attempts to examine and address waste, fraud and abuse within this program.  It seems that policymakers 
often speak of “waste, fraud and abuse” when attempting to create efficiencies in government programs to 
the point where that term has become hackneyed and virtually meaningless.  Today, however, the FCC is
actually doing something specific to reverse some troubling trends.  For instance, the Notice:  seeks 
comment on ways to ensure duplicate support is not provided; explores ways to prevent companies from 
receiving funds for inactive customers; and asks for the public’s advice on possibly imposing a uniform 
federal standard as a minimum threshold for verifying continued eligibility.  Also, regarding duplicate 
claims, I am supportive of efforts the Chairman may have to find ways to curb excess and inappropriate 
spending.  
I thank the hard-working staff in the Wireline Competition Bureau for their dedication to this 
Notice, and I look forward to discussing these issues with all of my colleagues and the various 
stakeholders.  It is my hope that we can move forward in a fiscally prudent and thoughtful way.