Bill Commons

DE SB 307

enacted

AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 26 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO ELIGIBLE TELECOMMUNICATIONS CARRIERS FOR LIFELINE SERVICES.

Delaware · 2025-2026 Regular Session (153rd General Assembly) · upper

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Quick answers

Did DE SB 307 pass?

Yes. DE SB 307 has been enacted into law. Latest recorded action (2026-08-26): Signed by Governor

What is DE SB 307 about?

This Act gives Delaware’s Public Service Commission (“Commission”) the authority to designate a telecommunications provider or reseller as an eligible telecommunications carrier (“ETC”) for the purpose of providing Lifeline services. Lifeline is a Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) program that helps make phone and internet services more affordable for low-income consumers. Approximately 8,700 Delawareans participate in Lifeline. Currently, the determination of which telecommunications services companies can operate as Lifeline ETCs in Delaware is made by the FCC. This Act shifts that authority to the Commission, and in doing so, brings Delaware into line with nearly every other state in the nation. The reason for this nationwide trend is that in the past 15-20 years, the FCC has stopped taking action on approving ETCs for Lifeline on behalf of states. The FCC is not opposed to states stepping into this gap, but Delaware cannot do so absent statutory changes. By giving the Commission the authority to designate Lifeline ETCs, this Act will allow additional Lifeline providers to support this State’s residents. Because the FCC handles the administration and expenses of the program, there is no cost to the State as a result of taking on this authority. This Act takes effect immediately, but implementation is delayed to give the Commission time to amend its regulations to be consistent with this Act.

Who sponsors DE SB 307?

Claire Snyder-Hall, Eric Morrison, David L. Wilson and 2 others are the primary sponsors of DE SB 307.

Description

This Act gives Delaware’s Public Service Commission (“Commission”) the authority to designate a telecommunications provider or reseller as an eligible telecommunications carrier (“ETC”) for the purpose of providing Lifeline services. Lifeline is a Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) program that helps make phone and internet services more affordable for low-income consumers. Approximately 8,700 Delawareans participate in Lifeline. Currently, the determination of which telecommunications services companies can operate as Lifeline ETCs in Delaware is made by the FCC. This Act shifts that authority to the Commission, and in doing so, brings Delaware into line with nearly every other state in the nation. The reason for this nationwide trend is that in the past 15-20 years, the FCC has stopped taking action on approving ETCs for Lifeline on behalf of states. The FCC is not opposed to states stepping into this gap, but Delaware cannot do so absent statutory changes. By giving the Commission the authority to designate Lifeline ETCs, this Act will allow additional Lifeline providers to support this State’s residents. Because the FCC handles the administration and expenses of the program, there is no cost to the State as a result of taking on this authority. This Act takes effect immediately, but implementation is delayed to give the Commission time to amend its regulations to be consistent with this Act.

Introduced
2026-05-06
Latest action
2026-08-26 — Signed by Governor
Bill type
bill
Last updated
—

Sponsors

  • Claire Snyder-Hallprimary
  • Eric Morrisonprimary
  • David L. Wilsonprimary
  • Cyndie Romerprimary
  • Russell Huxtableprimary

Committees

Not provided by source.

Action timeline

Newest first

  1. 2026-08-26

    Signed by Governor

    executive-signature

  2. 2026-06-30

    Passed By House. Votes: 41 YES

    passage

  3. 2026-06-18

    Reported Out of Committee (Technology & Telecommunications) in House with 5 On Its Merits

    committee-passage

  4. 2026-05-20

    Assigned to Technology & Telecommunications Committee in House

    introduction,referral-committee

  5. 2026-05-19

    Passed By Senate. Votes: 21 YES

    passage

  6. 2026-05-13

    Reported Out of Committee (Environment, Energy & Transportation) in Senate with 7 Favorable

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable

  7. 2026-05-06

    Introduced and Assigned to Environment, Energy & Transportation Committee in Senate

    introduction,referral-committee

Versions

Documents

Votes

  • SM

    2026-05-19 · pass · 21-0

    Member-level votes (21)
    • Darius J. Brown: yes
    • Eric Buckson: yes
    • Daniel Cruce: yes
    • Stephanie L. Hansen: yes
    • Gerald W. Hocker: yes
    • Kyra L. Hoffner: yes
    • Russell Huxtable: yes
    • Dave G. Lawson: yes
    • S. Elizabeth Lockman: yes
    • Spiros Mantzavinos: yes
    • Trey Paradee: yes
    • Brian Pettyjohn: yes
    • Marie Pinkney: yes
    • Nicole Poore: yes
    • Bryant L. Richardson: yes
    • Ray Seigfried: yes
    • David P. Sokola: yes
    • Laura V. Sturgeon: yes
    • Bryan Townsend: yes
    • John "Jack" Walsh: yes
    • David L. Wilson: yes

  • SM

    2026-06-30 · pass · 41-0

    Member-level votes (41)
    • Alonna Berry: yes
    • Stephanie T. Bolden: yes
    • Frank Burns: yes
    • William Bush: yes
    • William J. Carson: yes
    • Nnamdi O. Chukwuocha: yes
    • Richard G. Collins: yes
    • Franklin D. Cooke: yes
    • Daniel B. Short: yes
    • Timothy D. Dukes: yes
    • Mara Gorman: yes
    • Ronald E. Gray: yes
    • Krista Griffith: yes
    • Kerri Evelyn Harris: yes
    • Debra Heffernan: yes
    • Kevin S Hensley: yes
    • Jeff Hilovsky: yes
    • Valerie Jones Giltner: yes
    • Kendra Johnson: yes
    • Kimberly Williams: yes
    • Kamela T Smith: yes
    • Larry Lambert: yes
    • Sean M. Lynn: yes
    • Michael F. Smith: yes
    • Melissa Minor-Brown: yes
    • Shannon Morris: yes
    • Eric Morrison: yes
    • DeShanna U Neal: yes
    • Josue O Ortega: yes
    • Edward S. Osienski: yes
    • Sophie Phillips: yes
    • Charles S Postles Jr.: yes
    • Cyndie Romer: yes
    • Melanie Ross Levin: yes
    • Sherae'a Moore: yes
    • Bryan W. Shupe: yes
    • Claire Snyder-Hall: yes
    • Jeffrey N. Spiegelman: yes
    • Jesse R. Vanderwende: yes
    • Madinah Wilson-Anton: yes
    • Lyndon D. Yearick: yes

Related bills

No related bills recorded for this bill.

Official source

https://legis.delaware.gov/BillDetail?LegislationId=143238

Attribution

Data from openstates_api_sync, retrieved 2026-09-03T00:07:28.248386Z

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