Connected: To Be or Not to Be? What stakeholders are saying about the landmark Supreme Court case

While it’s not common for an Federal Communications Commission issue to face the court of last resort, two combined lawsuits recently heard before the bench—Federal Communications Commission v. Consumers' Research and Schools, Health & Libraries Coalition v. Consumers' Research—could put millions of anchor institutions, rural communities and American families nationwide in real jeopardy of losing connectivity. The Universal Service Fund is a decades-old telecommunications subsidy program managed by the FCC. At issue is whether the FCC legally delegated authority to the Universal Service Administrative Company, a non-profit entity, to administer the program. In short: is the USF constitutional? Consumers’ Research, a conservative nonprofit, says no. But many industry and public interest groups—including the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition, Benton Institute for Broadband & Society, MediaJustice, and National Digital Inclusion Alliance, parties to the case—say yes and affirm its necessity for digital opportunity.  At the Glen Echo Group, we’re lucky to work with some of the brightest minds across the broadband ecosystem. While we note that oral arguments don’t always reflect the outcome of a case, we asked our partners for their takes following oral arguments and their projections for the future of USF.