{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-17-17-139.105","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 17, § 17-139.105","heading":"Credit of End User Common Line Charge for qualifying","body":"customers - Oklahoma Lifeline Fund - Documentation.\n\nA. Each local exchange telecommunications service provider who\n\nreceives funding from the Oklahoma Lifeline Fund shall file tariffs\n\nwith the Corporation Commission implementing a program to provide a\n\nfull waiver of the End User Common Line Charge on the monthly basic\n\nservice rate of qualifying customers. Eligibility criteria for this\n\nprogram shall comply with the provisions of 47 C.F.R., Section\n\n69.104(k)(1) and shall be limited to customers who:\n\n1. Are eligible for or receive assistance or benefits, as\n\ncertified by the Department of Human Services, under programs\n\nproviding:\n\na. Temporary Assistance to Needy Families,\n\nb. Food Stamps,\n\nc. Medical Assistance, or\n\nd. Supplemental Security Income;\n\n2. Are eligible for or receive assistance or benefits, as\n\ncertified by the State Department of Rehabilitation Services, under\n\nprograms providing vocational rehabilitation, including, but not\n\nlimited to, aid to the deaf or hard-of-hearing; or\n\n3. Are eligible for or receive assistance or benefits, as\n\ncertified by the Oklahoma Tax Commission, pursuant to the Sales Tax\n\nRelief Act.\n\nB. There is hereby created within the Corporation Commission\n\nthe \"Oklahoma Lifeline Fund\". The Commission shall administer and\n\nmaintain the Oklahoma Lifeline Fund to help ensure that low-income\n\nOklahomans are provided financial assistance in maintaining basic\n\nlocal exchange telecommunications service. Proceeds from the\n\nOklahoma Lifeline Fund shall be distributed to all local exchange\n\ntelecommunications service providers who are required to file\n\nlifeline tariffs.\n\nC. The Oklahoma Lifeline Fund charges shall be levied,\n\ncollected, and administered pursuant to Section 139.107 of this\n\ntitle. Telecommunications carriers may, at their option, recover\n\nfrom their retail customers who are not eligible for lifeline\n\nassistance, on an equitable basis, the amount of the lifeline\n\ncharges paid by the carrier. The Oklahoma Lifeline Fund charges\n\nshall not be subject to state or local taxes or franchise fees.\n\nD. An eligible telecommunications carrier may not receive\n\nreimbursements from the Oklahoma Lifeline Fund unless it\n\ndemonstrates that its rates have been reduced by an amount equal to\n\nthe amount of the Lifeline payments which have been previously\n\nincluded in the rate structure of the carrier. A carrier shall be\n\neligible for support from the Oklahoma Lifeline Fund for any amount\n\nwhich is greater than the amount which has been previously included\n\nin the rate structure of the carrier.\n\nE. After May 16, 2013, an eligible telecommunications carrier\n\nshall not receive reimbursements from the Oklahoma Lifeline Fund\n\nuntil it provides documentation in the approved format to the\n\nDirector of the Public Utility Division of the Corporation\n\nCommission confirming its compliance with federal and state\n\nguidelines and rules and establishes an ongoing process for\n\nproviding documentation in the approved format to the Director of\n\nthe Public Utility Division of the Corporation Commission\n\ndemonstrating that the eligible telecommunications carrier:\n\n1. Is collecting and maintaining reliable records regarding the\n\nverification of initial and continued eligibility for Lifeline\n\nservices; and\n\n2. Is in compliance with the Corporation Commission and Federal\n\nCommunications Commission rules and regulations for Lifeline\n\nservices.\n\nF. In order to satisfy the provisions of paragraph 1 of\n\nsubsection E of this section, an eligible telecommunications carrier\n\nshall obtain in writing the following information from the customer\n\nseeking Lifeline service:\n\n1. The customer's name;\n\n2. The last four digits of the customer's social security\n\nnumber or tribal identification number if the customer does not have\n\na social security number;\n\n3. The customer's date of birth; and\necommunications carrier\n\nshall obtain in writing the following information from the customer\n\nseeking Lifeline service:\n\n1. The customer's name;\n\n2. The last four digits of the customer's social security\n\nnumber or tribal identification number if the customer does not have\n\na social security number;\n\n3. The customer's date of birth; and\n\n4. The customer's billing address.\n\nG. Additionally, an eligible telecommunications carrier seeking\n\nreimbursement from the Oklahoma Universal Service Fund for the\n\nprovisioning of Lifeline service must obtain a certified statement\n\nin writing from the customer at the time Lifeline services are\n\ninitially requested and on an annual basis thereafter that:\n\n1. The customer seeking Lifeline services participates in one\n\nof the programs listed in subsection A of this section;\n\n2. The telephone service location to which the certification\n\napplies is the customer's primary residential service address rather\n\nthan a second home or business;\n\n3. If in the future the customer no longer participates in or\n\nqualifies for at least one of the programs listed in subsection A of\n\nthis section, the customer will notify the eligible\n\ntelecommunications carrier within thirty (30) days;\n\n4. The telephone service which is being requested is listed in\n\nthe customer's legal name;\n\n5. The customer is eighteen (18) years of age or older and is\n\nnot claimed as a dependent on another person's tax return; and\n\n6. The customer's residence will only receive one Lifeline\n\nservice benefit and, to the best of the customer's knowledge, is not\n\nalready receiving Lifeline service.\n\nH. If the customer seeking Lifeline service does not have a\n\nprimary residential address, the eligible telecommunications carrier\n\nseeking reimbursement from the Oklahoma Universal Service Fund for\n\nthe provision of Lifeline service must obtain a certified statement\n\nin writing from the customer that the address provided is temporary\n\nand that the customer will recertify his or her temporary address\n\nevery ninety (90) days.\n\nI. In order to obtain reimbursement from the Oklahoma Universal\n\nService Fund, the eligible telecommunications carrier must also\n\nobtain a certified statement in writing from the customer, at the\n\ntime Lifeline services are initially requested and on an annual\n\nbasis thereafter, that the customer has read, understands and\n\nacknowledges the following:\n\n1. The eligible telecommunications carrier or its duly\n\nappointed representative has authorization to access any records\n\nrequired to verify the statements made by the customer in order to\n\nconfirm continued participation in any of the programs listed in\n\nsubsection A of this section, and authorizes representatives of\n\nthose programs to discuss with and/or provide copies to the eligible\n\ntelecommunications carrier or its duly appointed representative to\n\nverify the customer's eligibility for and participation in any of\n\nthe programs listed in subsection A of this section; and\n\n2. The eligible telecommunications carrier is authorized to\n\ntransmit to any governmental entity or its designee handling a\n\nLifeline accountability database the customer's full name, full\n\nresidential address, date of birth, and the last four digits of the\n\ncustomer's social security number or tribal identification number if\n\nthe customer does not have a social security number, the telephone\n\nnumber associated with the Lifeline service provided, the date on\n\nwhich Lifeline service will or has begun, the date on which the\n\nLifeline service ends, the amount of support sought by the company\n\nand the means through which one qualifies for program benefits. The\n\ncustomer must also acknowledge that transmission of this information\n\nis required to ensure the proper administration of the Lifeline\n\nprogram and that if the customer refuses to have this information\nich Lifeline service will or has begun, the date on which the\n\nLifeline service ends, the amount of support sought by the company\n\nand the means through which one qualifies for program benefits. The\n\ncustomer must also acknowledge that transmission of this information\n\nis required to ensure the proper administration of the Lifeline\n\nprogram and that if the customer refuses to have this information\n\ntransmitted to the administrator, he or she will be denied Lifeline\n\nservice; and\n\n3. The eligible telecommunications carrier seeking\n\nreimbursement from the Oklahoma Universal Service Fund for the\n\nprovisioning of Lifeline services shall also note on the certified\n\nwritten statement obtained from the customer the name of the\n\nemployee or representative who verified the customer's eligibility\n\nfor Lifeline service and the type of documentation reviewed.\n\nI. The Corporation Commission is authorized to promulgate rules\n\nnecessary to implement the provisions of this section, including the\n\nestablishment of fines of up to Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00)\n\nper day per violation. A telecommunications carrier may be fined by\n\nthe Corporation Commission for marketing practices determined by an\n\nadministrative law judge to be in violation of the Corporation\n\nCommission's rules and noncompliance with other provisions of the\n\nOklahoma Lifeline Fund program rules, as the Corporation Commission\n\nmay deem proper after notice and opportunity for hearing.\n\nJ. The amount reimbursed from the Oklahoma Lifeline Fund for\n\nthe provision of Lifeline service shall not exceed two cents ($0.02)\n\nper month per Lifeline subscriber.","path":["OK Code","Title 17"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os17.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"98cf1d3d569f5a5274687b07c80d42bebc64905070267106dc564838e1001921","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-17-17-139.104","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-17-17-139.106"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}