# 2026-16266: FCC teams with Iowa to sniff out fake phone subsidy claimants

2026-16266, Privacy Act of 1974; Matching Program, is a Federal Register notice from Federal Communications Commission published 2026-08-10, effective 2026-09-09; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-08-17).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-16266
- As of: 2026-08-17
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Document number: 2026-16266
- Title: Privacy Act of 1974; Matching Program
- Type: Notice
- Agencies: Federal Communications Commission
- Citation: 91 FR 51491
- Published: 2026-08-10
- Effective: 2026-09-09
- Comments close: 2026-09-09
- Significant: no
- Touches household money: yes
- Regulation identifier numbers: none
- Last updated: 2026-08-17

## In one line

FCC teams with Iowa to sniff out fake phone subsidy claimants

## Summary

In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended ("Privacy Act"), this document announces a new computer matching program the Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission or Agency) and the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) will conduct with the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services. The purpose of this matching program is to verify the eligibility of applicants to and subscribers of Lifeline, which is administered by USAC under the direction of the FCC. More information about this program is provided in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section below.

## Effects PRIA read

- Iowa SNAP Checks Lifeline Eligibility: benefit, medium. If you apply for Lifeline in Iowa, the FCC/USAC will check whether you are enrolled in SNAP with the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services to verify your Lifeline eligibility. This matching program starts on September 9, 2026 and runs for 18 months, and the FCC says using the National Verifi…
- Personal Data Shared for Verification: cost, low. The National Verifier will send the last four digits of your Social Security number, your date of birth, and first and last name to the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, which will reply "yes" or "no" on whether you are enrolled in Iowa SNAP. This data sharing begins September 9, 2026 a…

## Related documents

- [2026-20591](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-20591): Information Collection Being Reviewed by the Federal Communications Commission Under Delegated Authority, 2026-10-08
- [2026-20590](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-20590): Information Collection Being Reviewed by the Federal Communications Commission, 2026-10-08
- [2026-20676](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-20676): Information Collection Being Reviewed by the Federal Communications Commission Under Delegated Authority, 2026-10-08
- [2026-20607](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-20607): Information Collections Being Submitted for Review and Approval to Office of Management and Budget, 2026-10-08
- [2026-20681](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-20681): Information Collection Being Submitted for Review and Approval to Office of Management and Budget, 2026-10-08
- [2026-20486](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-20486): Information Collections Being Reviewed by the Federal Communications Commission, 2026-10-06

## Sources
- [2026-16266 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/08/10/2026-16266/privacy-act-of-1974-matching-program)
- [2026-16266 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-08-10/pdf/2026-16266.pdf)

## Related
- [Previous: 2026-16265, Initiation of Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Administrative Reviews](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-16265)
- [Next: 2026-16267, Notice of Council Updated NEPA Procedures](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-16267)
- [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-16266 (as of 2026-08-17).