Universal Service Fund

The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) granted a limited waiver of the support reduction schedule for certain recipients of Connect America Fund (CAF) high-cost support that missed the July 1, 2024 network performance testing certification deadline. The Bureau finds good cause to consider a carrier to have certified its network performance testing based on when it contacted the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) about its certification.

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 US Senate voted to kill the decision of the Federal Communications Commission to use the Universal Service Fund to fund WiFi hotspots for students and libraries. The House is supposed to take up the issue soon. The FCC approved this funding in 2024 under then-Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. The plan was to use the E-Rate funding aimed at schools and libraries to provide hotspots to bring temporary service to homes without a broadband connection. The idea of using hotspots leaped onto the scene during the pandemic when schools needed to keep students connected to schoolwork.

Sens Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Mike Crapo (R-ID), and Kevin Cramer (R-ND) introduced the Lowering Broadband Costs for Consumers Act of 2025 to direct the Federal Communications Commission to require proper contributions to the Universal Service Fund from edge providers and broadband providers.

U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas) celebrated the Senate passage of his resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act (CRA), which would repeal a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rule expanding local control to schools and libraries, allowing them to use E-Rate funds to loan Wi-Fi hotspots to community members.

CoSN released its 2025 State of EdTech District Leadership report, offering critical insights into the evolving roles and responsibilities of K-12 EdTech leaders across the country. Highlights of the report include:

In the United States, the Federal Communications Commission distributes subsidies to broadband providers to offer high-speed broadband in unserved areas. This article examines the FCC’s largest program to date, the 2020 Rural Digital Opportunity Fund auction, which distributed billions of dollars and replaced a subsidy mechanism based on engineering cost estimates. I propose a novel model to estimate the private costs of an incumbent wireline provider in areas adjacent to the incumbent’s existing infrastructure.

The Federal Communications Commission announced guidance is available on the FCC’s website for carriers that will transition from reporting in the High Cost Universal Broadband portal the geographic coordinates and addresses associated with the locations where they offer service meeting their high-cost support requirements, to reporting the Broadband Serviceable Location Fabric Location IDs associated with these locations based on a list of eligible Location IDs for each carrier. In the High-Cost Fabric Order, the FCC explained that Rural Digital Opportunity Fund, Bringing Puerto Rico Toget

NTCA - The Rural Broadband Association submitted reply comments to the Federal Communications Commission regarding the In Re: Delete, Delete, Delete request for comments. NTCA's reply comments touched on a number of topics, including the Universal Service Fund. "NTCA urges the Commission to reject those questioning the need for universal service programs.

The Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition submitted reply comments to the Federal Communications Commission regarding the In Re: Delete, Delete, Delete request for comments. SHLB's reply focused on the Universal Service Fund, and particularly the E-Rate and Rural Health Care programs. "We continue to emphasize that recommendations should ensure that Commission-led initiatives ultimately work to benefit anchor institutions and their communities and streamline the administration of the E-Rate and Rural Health Care programs."