Remarks Of Commissioner Tate At The Federalist Society

REMARKS OF COMMISSIONER TATE AT THE FEDERALIST SOCIETY
[SOURCE: Federal Communications Commission]
Federal Communications Commission Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate spoke to the Federal Society on Tuesday about universal service and the universal service fund. She said she wants "to do all I can to reform and transform [the universal service fund] to meet its goals in an efficient, fiscally responsible and technology neutral manner." She added, "We must recognize how technological changes are putting strains on the mechanics of our contribution and distribution systems." As Chair of the Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service, she credited its November 2007 recommendations as being "common sense, practical, first step[s] toward more fully implementing universal service reform." Commissioner Tate supports eliminating the identical support rule and a shift to awarding USF subsidies using reverse auctions. But she cautioned against the recommendation to create and transition to three new funds within the USF. And, she asked, "does it make economic sense to provide ongoing support for three services that ultimately compete for the same customers?" Further, she asked about the Broadband Fund and the Mobility Fund, "Should these new funds be more targeted, limited to unserved areas or used to enhance substandard service and/or to provide continued operating subsidies? What is the source of funding for the proposed $300 million and when will it accrue? How should the proposed Broadband Fund relate to other current existing government programs such as those administered by the federal Department of Agriculture, the many broadband bills that are currently pending in Congress, and the hundreds of state and local projects that have already been undertaken with state and local taxpayer dollars?"
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-280021A1.doc