California could become the first state in the nation to distribute phone discounts to illegal immigrants.
The California Public Utilities Commission is considering eliminating the requirement that residents provide a Social Security number to qualify for California LifeLine, the government-run program that gives phone subsidies to low-income residents.
The agency will vote on the proposal on Sept. 26.
“If an undocumented Californian falls on hard times, they should benefit from this program, just like every other Californian,” CPUC President Alice Reynolds told Politico.
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) tapped Reynolds to head the CPUC in 2021. Though she is a Newsom appointee, the governor is not necessarily on board with her latest proposal.
