[Code of Federal Regulations] [Title 47, Volume 3] [Revised as of October 1, 2005] From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access [CITE: 47CFR54.410] [Page 132-133] TITLE 47--TELECOMMUNICATION CHAPTER I--FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) PART 54_UNIVERSAL SERVICE--Table of Contents Subpart E_Universal Service Support for Low-Income Consumers Sec. 54.410 Certification and Verification of Consumer Qualification for Lifeline. (a) Certification of income. Consumers qualifying under an income- based criterion must present documentation of their household income prior to enrollment in Lifeline. (1) By one year from the effective date of these rules, eligible telecommunications carriers in states that mandate state Lifeline support must comply with state certification procedures to document consumer income-based eligibility for Lifeline prior to that consumer's enrollment if the consumer is qualifying under an income-based criterion. (2) By one year from the effective date of these rules, eligible telecommunications carriers in states that do not mandate state Lifeline support must implement certification procedures to document consumer- income-based eligibility for Lifeline prior to that consumer's enrollment if the consumer is qualifying under the income-based criterion specified in Sec. 54.409(b). Acceptable documentation of income eligibility includes the prior year's state, federal, or tribal tax return, current income statement from an employer or paycheck stub, a Social Security statement of benefits, a Veterans Administration statement of benefits, a retirement/pension statement of benefits, an Unemployment/Workmen's Compensation statement of benefits, federal or tribal notice letter of participation in General Assistance, a divorce decree, child support, or other official document. If the consumer presents documentation of income that does not cover a full year, such as current pay stubs, the consumer must present three consecutive months worth of the same types of document within that calendar year. (b) Self-certifications. After income certification procedures are implemented, eligible telecommunications carriers and consumers are required to make certain self-certifications, under penalty of perjury, relating to the Lifeline program. (1) An officer of the eligible telecommunications carrier in a state that mandates state Lifeline support must certify that the eligible telecommunications carrier is in compliance with state Lifeline income certification procedures and that, to the best of his/her knowledge, documentation of income was presented. (2) An officer of the eligible telecommunications carrier in a state that does not mandate state Lifeline support must certify that the eligible telecommunications carrier has procedures in place to review income documentation and that, to the best of his/her knowledge, the carrier was presented with documentation of the consumer's household income. (3) Consumers qualifying for Lifeline under an income-based criterion must certify the number of individuals in their households on the document required in Sec. 54.409(d). (c) Verification of continued eligibility. Consumers qualifying for Lifeline may be required to verify continued eligibility on an annual basis. (1) By one year from the effective date of these rules, eligible telecommunications carriers in states that [[Page 133]] mandate state Lifeline support must comply with state verification procedures to validate consumers' continued eligibility for Lifeline. (2) By one year from the effective date of these rules, eligible telecommunications carriers in states that do not mandate state Lifeline support must implement procedures to verify the continued eligibility of a statistically valid random sample of their Lifeline consumers to verify continued eligibility and provide the results of the sample to the Administrator. If verifying income, an officer of the eligible telecommunications carrier must certify, under penalty of perjury, that the eligible telecommunications carrier has income verification procedures in place and that, to the best of his/her knowledge, the carrier was presented with corroborating income documentation. In addition, the consumer must certify, under penalty of perjury, that the consumer continues to participate in the Lifeline qualifying program or that the presented documentation accurately represents the consumer's household income and the number of individuals in the household. [69 FR 34600, June 22, 2004] Effective Date Note: At 69 FR 34600, June 22,2004, Sec. 54.410 was added. This section contains information collection and recordkeeping requirements and will not become effective until approval has been given by the Office of Management and Budget.