The formation of the Lifeline Across America Working Group was announced at a press event on July 26, 2005, at the NARUC Summer Committee Meetings. The original FCC, NARUC, and NASUCA participants on the Working Group were announced in late September. In January 2006, the Working Group sought public input on several questions relating to outreach on Lifeline and Link-Up.

After reviewing the information received and reaching out to a number of relevant organizations, the Working Group began implementing several outreach projects. On February 8, 2006, the Working Group launched this website to aggregate information on Lifeline and Link-Up for a variety of stakeholders. Later that year, the Working Group presented preliminary findings and possible next steps to improve outreach at the 2006 NARUC Summer Committee Meetings to a Joint Session of the NARUC Committees on Telecommunications and Consumer Affairs, and helped shepherd concurrent NARUC and NASUCA Resolutions on Lifeline and Link-Up outreach and carrier best practices, which were adopted at the NARUC and NASUCA 2006 Annual Meetings.

In early 2007, the Working Group compiled and posted on its website a report on its findings and suggested next steps to improve outreach on Lifeline and Link-Up. Later in 2007, the Working Group completed several outreach projects, the most noteworthy of which include:

• Expanded the information and assistance available to consumers when they call the FCC;

• Prepared and posted on its Web site an "outreach tool kit" with sample articles, press releases, fliers, other printed materials;

• Initiated communication with professional associations of national scope whose members have direct contact with eligible consumers – for example, the National Association of Social Workers;

• Created and posted a training “webinar” on the Lifeline and Link-Up programs and added Spanish translation on the www.lifeline.gov website to provide training to social workers and others who deal directly with eligible consumers; and

• Coordinated the creation of a quarterly “Lifeline” group of state PUC staff to share questions on the USF low-income programs and established a quarterly conference call for this purpose.

In 2008, the group reached out to state chapters of the National Association of Social Workers, state Departments of Aging, and public safety groups that deal with domestic violence, providing information and articles for distribution through the social work and aging services networks.

In 2009, the Working Group conceived and supported the adoption of the inaugural “National Telephone Discount Lifeline Awareness Week,” September 14-20, 2009.  (NARUC resolution) (NASUCA resolution)

News Releases: FCC | NARUC | NASUCA