As America’s financial distress deepens, with unemployment reaching levels not seen since the Great Depression, the U.S. government has relaxed the requirements for Lifeline. However, because the Lifeline program is poorly marketed and underresourced, the program has a ways to go to be the lifeline communities living on low incomes deserve and need.
Because of the automatic qualification through other federal programs, Brandon Forester of MediaJustice said, Lifeline benefits more than just low-income households. “Seniors, folks who are living on disability, it’s used a lot by folks who are unhoused; it’s a program that’s important for folks who are reentering citizens (formerly incarcerated) who might not have a way to get connected otherwise. It’s also an important resource for folks who are survivors of domestic violence,” Forester said.
Brandon Forester via The Mark Up
