Programs › 32.003
Assistance listing · 32.003
Universal Service Fund - Lifeline
Federal financial assistance obligated under listing 32.003, the organisations that receive it and where it goes.
USAspending caveat. Figures are obligations reported by federal agencies to USAspending.gov, not payments. In USAspending's words: "An outlay occurs when federal money is actually paid out, not just promised to be paid ('obligated')." "Every agency has a Senior Accountable Official who must officially certify that the quarterly financial data submitted by their agency is accurate and complete." "If there are any discrepancies in procurement data, FPDS is the authoritative source." Contract data for the Department of Defense and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is published with a 90-day delay. Data loaded 30 Sep 2026.
Federal agencies obligated $749M in awards under assistance listing 32.003, Universal Service Fund - Lifeline, in FY2025, and $3.8B over the five fiscal years since FY2022; the program ranks 142 of 1056 on this site.
Obligations were down 28% on FY2024 ($1.0B), with $1.1B so far in FY2026.
The largest recipient organisations over FY2022–FY2025 were Verizon Value, Inc. ($616M), Assurance Wireless Usa, L.P. ($466M) and Global Connection Inc. of America ($208M).
By place of performance, the most money went to OK.
Obligations by fiscal year
Compared with the largest program FY2025
| Measure | This program | Grants to States for Medicaid | All assistance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obligations, FY2025 | $749M | $666B | $4.5T |
| Five-year total | $3.8B | $3.2T | $21T |
| Share of all assistance obligations, five years | 0% | 15.2% | 100% |
Largest recipients obligations, FY2022–FY2025
| # | Organisation | Obligations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Verizon Value, Inc. | $616M |
| 2 | Assurance Wireless Usa, L.P. | $466M |
| 3 | Global Connection Inc. of America | $208M |
| 4 | Truconnect Communications Inc. | $178M |
| 5 | Im Telecom, LLC | $176M |
| 6 | Sage Telecom Communications, LLC | $147M |
| 7 | Telrite Corporation | $83M |
| 8 | Smith Bagley Inc | $83M |
| 9 | I-Wireless, LLC | $78M |
| 10 | Assurance Wireless Usa, L.P. | $78M |
| 11 | Air Voice Wireless LLC | $75M |
| 12 | Assist Wireless LLC | $72M |
| 13 | Puerto Rico Telephone Co, Inc | $62M |
| 14 | Boomerang Wireless LLC | $57M |
| 15 | Easy Telephone Services Company | $54M |
| 16 | Amerimex Communications Corp | $35M |
| 17 | Assurance Wireless Usa, L.P. | $31M |
| 18 | American Broadband and Telecommunications Company | $26M |
| 19 | Gci Communication Corp. | $18M |
| 20 | Verizon Communications Inc | $14M |
| 21 | Pacific Bell Telephone Company | $13M |
| 22 | Terracom Inc | $13M |
| 23 | HH Ventures, LLC | $8.0M |
| 24 | Dish Wireless L.L.C. | $7.3M |
| 25 | Ntua Wireless LLC | $6.4M |
Where the money goes
Other programs numbered 32.xxx
- 32.002 Universal Service Fund - High Cost $21B
- 32.008 Affordable Connectivity Program $16B
- 32.004 UNIVERSAL SERVICE FUND - SCHOOLS and LIBRARIES $13B
- 32.009 Emergency Connectivity Fund Program $5.2B
- 32.010 Supply Chain Reimbursement Program $4.5B
- 32.005 Universal Service Fund - Rural Health Care $2.4B
Questions and answers
How much is obligated under assistance listing 32.003?
$749M in FY2025 and $3.8B over the five fiscal years since FY2022, counting every award type recorded under the listing (grants, direct payments, loan subsidy cost, insurance and other assistance). Obligations are commitments, not payments.
Who receives the most under Universal Service Fund - Lifeline?
Verizon Value, Inc. ($616M), Assurance Wireless Usa, L.P. ($466M), Global Connection Inc. of America ($208M), Truconnect Communications Inc. ($178M), Im Telecom, LLC ($176M). Individuals are never listed; where a program pays individuals, USAspending records aggregated rows that appear here as "not shown".
What is an assistance listing (CFDA) number?
A five-digit number that identifies a federal financial assistance program on SAM.gov (formerly the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance). Every grant, loan, direct payment or other assistance award on USAspending carries one; contracts do not.
Provenance
Source: USAspending.gov API v2, spending by category (assistance listing) by fiscal year, recipient cross-tabulation for FY2022–FY2025 and award search, loaded 30 Sep 2026. State figures come from each state's top-100 listing table, so small amounts in a state may be missing. See methodology.