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| Hi there, The ability to communicate during a disaster is a life-and-death issue. As Puerto Rico braces for another potentially brutal hurricane season, the FCC is planning to disconnect hundreds of thousands of people who rely on the Lifeline program for phone and internet access. Tell the FCC to stop the Lifeline rollback. Lifeline provides a modest $9.25 monthly subsidy so that millions of people living below the poverty line can connect to vital communications services. But under Chairman Ajit Pai’s leadership, the FCC has proposed a heartless plan to dismantle the program. The plan to gut Lifeline would cut off hundreds of thousands of people living in hurricane-stricken areas like Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.1 Lifeline is designed to ensure that low-income families are connected to emergency services.2 More than 500,000 households subscribe to Lifeline in Puerto Rico. If the FCC implements Pai’s cruel proposal, 75 percent of Lifeline recipients on the island could find themselves disconnected from lifesaving help when every moment counts.3 To disconnect people still struggling to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Maria would be unconscionable. Tell the FCC to ditch its plan and leave Lifeline alone. As Puerto Ricans anxiously await the 2018 hurricane season they need reassurance they’ll continue to have affordable access to communications services — and the ability to connect with emergency responders and loved ones if another hurricane strikes. Take action now to support Puerto Rico. Thanks for all you do— Joseph, Jessica, Lucia and the rest of the Free Press team P.S. The plan to dismantle Lifeline could disconnect hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans who are still struggling to recover from Hurricane Maria. Tell the FCC to leave Lifeline alone. P.P.S. You may have noticed we've got a brand-new logo and colors ... we also have a brand-new website and action pages. We're also changing the way we talk about our work. That means more useful content, more voices and perspectives, and storytelling that reflects our organizational commitment to racial equity. 1. “Comments of National Hispanic Media Coalition and Free Press,” footnote 62, April 17, 2018: https://act.freepress.net/go/19829?t=9&akid=8962%2E10296224%2EnKLnt7 2. “Comments of National Hispanic Media Coalition and Free Press,” footnote 45, April 17, 2018: https://act.freepress.net/go/19829?t=11&akid=8962%2E10296224%2EnKLnt7 3. “A Lifeline That Breaks Down Barriers to Affordable Communications, Puerto Rico,” National Consumer Law Center (last visited Feb. 21, 2018), https://act.freepress.net/go/19830?t=13&akid=8962%2E10296224%2EnKLnt7  |
Free Press and the Free Press Action Fund are nonpartisan organizations fighting for your rights to connect and communicate. Learn more at www.freepress.net. |