Need a cheaper phone or home internet bill? California LifeLine just raised free mobile data — and a pilot still cuts broadband $20–$30 a month
A Oct. 8 CPUC decision moves LifeLine wireless plans from 6 GB to tiers of 8, 15 or 20 GB at no cost to eligible customers. A separate pilot discounts home internet.
If you qualify for California LifeLine, your free wireless plan is supposed to get more data. On Oct. 8, the California Public Utilities Commission approved three wireless tiers, each with a $20 monthly subsidy that participating carriers must offer at no cost to the customer: 8 GB, 15 GB or 20 GB of monthly data with unlimited talk and text. The prior wireless standard was 6 GB, the commission said.
Customers who also get the $9.25 federal Lifeline benefit are to receive an extra 4.5 GB from participating carriers once the change is implemented. Higher data tiers come with longer "portability freezes," waiting periods before you can switch carriers.
Separately, the California LifeLine Home Broadband Pilot still offers up to $20 off standalone home internet or $30 off a same-provider broadband-plus-voice bundle, plus up to $39 a year toward connection fees, on plans that meet speed minimums. Only one LifeLine benefit per household. Check eligibility and providers at californialifeline.com.
Source: CPUC Oct. 8, 2026, LifeLine decision news release; CPUC Home Broadband Pilot page, checked Nov. 5, 2026.