Bill > HB627

This bill expands the authority of the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to designate additional telecommunications providers for the Lifeline program, which is a federal program that provides discounted phone services to low-income consumers. Specifically, the bill allows the PUC to designate commercial mobile service providers or telecommunications companies as eligible for federal universal service support, beyond the current providers already recognized under federal regulations (47 U.S.C. sections 214(e)(1) and 214(e)(2), and 47 C.F.R. section 54.201). The PUC is granted the power to create rules for implementing this new authority, which means they can establish standards and processes for how these additional providers can participate in the Lifeline program. The bill will go into effect 60 days after its passage, giving the PUC time to develop the necessary implementation guidelines. This change aims to potentially increase competition and access to affordable telephone services for low-income residents by allowing more providers to offer Lifeline-supported services.

Agriculture and Natural Resources, Business and Industry

https://gc.nh.gov/bill_status/legacy/bs2016/bill_status.aspx?lsr=0618&sy=2025&sortoption=&txtsessionyear=2025&txtbillnumber=HB627