Rural Health Care

The Supreme Court recently provided the Federal Communications Commission a sizable legal win by upholding its Universal Service Fund as constitutional.

The Federal Communications Commission’s Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) seeks nominations for the following Board member positions on the Board of Directors of the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) listed below for a three-year term:

It’s welcome news that Big Tech is investing billions in AI infrastructure, but who’s really paying for the broadband networks that help make those AI investments profitable? That burden is increasingly falling on America’s aging Universal Service Fund, which since 1998 has supported broadband deployment in rural communities, low-income households, schools, libraries and hospitals. The fund is financed mostly by telephone subscriptions—many of them paid by seniors on fixed incomes.

The Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) submitted the federal Universal Service Support Mechanisms fund size and administrative cost projections for the fourth quarter of calendar year 2025 (4Q2025). USAC projects a consolidated budget of $75.59 million for 4Q2025. Direct costs for all support mechanisms total $32.76 million.

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

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.

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.