Universal Service Fund

On March 7, Sens Ed Markey (D-MA) and Dan Sullivan (R-AK) wrote to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai to express concern about the transition by the Universal Service Administrative Co. (USAC) to a new vendor for reviewing E-Rate applications. On March 28, Chairman Pai responded by saying "USAC recently migrated to a new Business Process Outsourcing vendor to perform certain administrative functions for the E-Rate program.

The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau seeks comment on an amended petition filed by TracFone Wireless. TracFone seeks to expand its designation as an eligible telecommunications carrier to certain Tribal lands in Alabama, Connecticut, New York, North Carolina, and Virginia.

WC Docket No. 09-197

Comment Date: April 22, 2019 | Reply Comment Date: April 29, 2019

The Federal Communications Commission recently chose thoughtful and sensible policy reform when an item was circulated to Commissioners to begin a rulemaking that would establish a much-needed and overdue budget for the agency’s Universal Service Fund (USF).  Against the backdrop of special interest groups and uninformed detractors reflexively opposed to any restraint on the agency’s redistributive subsidies, I am proud to lead this effort to inject more fiscal responsibility into the USF. Hardly a revolutionary idea, budgets are precisely what American families and businesses rely on to ma

Significant broadband policy continues to take shape: the Save the Internet Act advanced to the full House Committee on Energy & Commerce, the Federal Trade Commission launched a study into the privacy practices of internet service providers, and the Federal Communications Commission circulated a proposal to cap the Universal Service Fund. We take a look at what you may have missed this week.

Public Knowledge opposes capping the Universal Servcie Fund because it may hinder the Federal Communications Commission’s ability to fulfill its universal service mandate. The following can be attributed to Alisa Valentin, Communications Justice Fellow at Public Knowledge:

Washington policymakers and advocates are reacting to news that the Federal Communications Commission will propose to cap the Universal Service Fund.

FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks took to Twitter: "How can we talk about capping our Universal Service programs at a time when the Commission doesn’t seem to have a good handle on who currently has broadband and who does not?" 

Count Federal Communications Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel and Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) as critics of a proposal from FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to explore a spending cap on telecommunications subsidies to expand telephone and broadband access. “Any effort that could harm classroom learning, broadband deployment, rural health opportunities, or connecting more individuals should be shelved and never considered again,” said Markey said of the FCC proposal, which would target Universal Service Fund programs.

The agenda for the Federal Communications Commission's April open meeting:

Vantage Point Solutions (VPS) met with the Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau staff on March 14, 2019 to discuss Form 477 broadband data. VPS said broadband providers need an opportunity to analyze Form 477 reports to identify potential errors and correct them before the FCC makes key decisions on the 477 data, like Alternative Connect America Cost Model (A-CAM) II offers.

We have had what appears to be the world’s most expensive and ineffective universal service program. Until now. The Federal Communications Commission is taking significant steps to dismantle the traditional system and replace it with something world class. In 2018, the FCC launched a new approach that uses a reverse auction to force companies to compete for subsidies. A reverse auction begins with a maximum subsidy the FCC is willing to pay for someone to expand broadband service in a rural area. Companies compete by bidding the amount down.