A federal appeals court has overturned a Federal Communications Commission order restricting a phone and internet subsidy for American Indians.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit Feb. 1 vacated an order that limited eligibility for a $25-per-month Lifeline program subsidy to tribal customers in rural areas who buy services from carriers that operate their own networks.
The commission failed to consider how the order would affect tribal residents who rely on wireless resellers for affordable service, the appeals court said in an opinion by Judge Judith W. Rogers. Resellers lease network space from large carriers ...