Lifeline/Low-Income Consumers

The Universal Service Fund Working Group—a bipartisan, bicameral group of Members of Congress—is seeking input from stakeholders across the country to explore the current state of the USF. The Working Group aims to provide a bipartisan forum to guide reforms to the USF, ensuring that connectivity reaches Americans in every community across the nation. The USF Working Group is seeking comments on a variety of questions relating to the effectiveness of USF programs and potential reforms. Stakeholders can file answers to these questions along with any additional comments through the USF Workin

The Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the constitutionality of the Universal Service Fund does little to solve the $9 billion program’s long-standing structural and financial flaws. The decision was a relief to telecommunications providers and communications advocates who feared catastrophe if the high court swung the other way. "You've got recipients who made clear to us that if this were to happen, you're talking about immediate bankruptcy and firing of companies and cutting back on serv

On Independence Day, President Donald Trump signed into law "The One, Big Beautiful Bill," revising the federal budget to fit the priorities of his administration. The legislation has made headlines for redirecting funding to military operations and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and away from Medicaid and other social programs.

The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society and its public interest allies have reason to celebrate an unambiguous victory at the U.S. Supreme Court. On July 27, in FCC v. Consumers Research, Justice Elena Kagan, joined by five colleagues, decisively rejected arguments that the Universal Service Fund (USF) established under the Communications Act is an unconstitutional delegation of Congressional authority to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Broadband-for-all advocates and telecom providers who serve rural areas have spent the last couple of years worried about whether the U.S. Supreme Court would essentially scuttle the Universal Service Fund, which helps to subsidize service in underserved, rural, and remote areas of the country as well as connect libraries and schools across the country.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr circulated an order that would save the American public millions of dollars by rejecting a request to expand a COVID-era waiver. Specifically, the circulated order denies a request by Lifeline providers to extend the FCC’s waiver of the program’s non-usage rules.

The denial of equitable access has been a defining feature throughout American history.

The Supreme Court has finally ruled to uphold the constitutionality of the Universal Service Fund, and telecommunications industry groups issued statements en masse praising the Supreme Court’s decision. But as they celebrated the end of the legal battle, they acknowledged there’s still a long road ahead for USF reform.

The Supreme Court ruled that an $8 billion fund that provides telephone and internet service in rural and low-income communities is constitutional, a break from a string of major rulings by the high court that have sharply curtailed the power of federal agencies.

"We are glad to see the Supreme Court uphold the constitutionality of the Universal Service Fund, which is critical for expanding reliable internet access to rural and low-income Americans, schools, libraries, and rural health centers,” said Reps Brett Guthrie (R-KY) and Richard Hudson (R-NC). “The Committee on Energy and Commerce can now turn its attention to reforming the USF so it can continue to provide every American with access to the connectivity they need to participate in the 21st century economy.”