California Considers First-in-the-Nation Phone Discounts for Undocumented Immigrants

Source: Politico |  By Tyler Katzenberger

California is weighing a first-in-the-nation proposal that would grant some undocumented immigrants access to a government-run phone bill discount program. But the timing is a bit awkward. The proposal, scheduled for an agency vote Sept. 26, would see the state eliminate social security numbers as a requirement for California LifeLine, a program that subsidizes phone bill discounts for low-income residents. California’s Public Utilities Commission agreed to drop the requirement 10 years ago but never did.

Ashley Salas, an attorney with independent consumer advocacy nonprofit The Utility Reform Network, framed it as a public safety issue: “If someone without a social security number that’s low-income sees a wildfire, and they can’t call 911, that hurts everyone in the community.”