Oregon Purging Dead from Lifeline Rolls
Oregon’s latest review highlights the challenges states face in balancing program oversight.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 15, 2026 – Oregon regulators are tightening safeguards to ensure deceased residents do not receive federal phone and broadband subsidies, while defending the state’s system for verifying Lifeline subscribers.
In a Sept. 8 filing with the Federal Communications Commission, the Oregon Public Utility Commission said it recently completed a database match of all Oregon Lifeline subscribers using their nine-digit Social Security numbers and records from the Oregon Center for Health Statistics.
