Why Universal Service still matters: Interview with Shirley Bloomfield

Protecting the concept of Universal Service and promoting an effective Universal Service Fund (USF) has long been the defining issue for NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association, which is why NTCA CEO Shirley Bloomfield was so relieved when the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the USF in June of 2025. “Talk about feeling like a 100,000-pound weight got lifted off your shoulders,” Bloomfield said. “I was proud of the NTCA board for allocating the resources for us to intervene in that case and be a player. It’s not something we’ve done in the past. But the NTCA board said, ‘This is our north star.’” The Supreme Court decision was released on one of the final days of the Court’s June 2025 session, and the NTCA staff waited for it with growing nerves. Remembering how she felt when the decision was announced, Bloomfield said, “I was relieved and appreciative. Now we can take the next step for this industry instead of tying ourselves in knots arguing the constitutionality of Universal Service contributions over and over.”