The following statement may be attributed to Bob Quinn, AT&T Senior Vice President of Federal Regulatory and Chief Privacy Officer:
“You cannot accomplish the goal of universal broadband at the heart of the FCC’s National Broadband Plan without a robust Lifeline program to provide a safety net for those in need. In a speech today, Blair Levin, one of the NBP’s primary authors, proposed remaking the voice-only USF Lifeline/Link-up programs into a broadband adoption program. The proposal is worthy of a serious discussion and would fundamentally reshape how qualification is determined, add in a dimension of accountability and the manner in which the program is paid for and administered. AT&T shares Mr. Levin’s belief in the importance of broadband adoption and the potential for a reformed Lifeline program to become part of the solution. We welcome the proposal and, more importantly, the discussion that this proposal should generate.”
