Universal Service Fund

FCC asking the wrong questions on Lifeline

In December 2020, in connection with a 2016 mandate to draft a report on the State of the Lifeline Marketplace, the Federal Communications Commission’s Wireline Competition Bureau issued a data request asking wireless providers about customer usage and cost information. While the FCC’s newfound interest in data is commendable, the bureau is asking the wrong questions.

How the Biden Administration Can Expand Rural Broadband

Population density has favored the building of Internet infrastructure in urban areas, but there has been little economic incentive to do so in many rural parts of the country. As a candidate, Joe Biden seemed to understand that appealing to rural voters was a political necessity.

Petition Calls for E-Rate Funds for K-12 Cybersecurity Needs

The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA), State E-rate Coordinators' Alliance (SECA), Allianced for Excellent Education (All4Ed), Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition (SHLB) and the Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS) submitted to the Federal Communications Commission an estimate outlining the cost to provide much-needed cybersecurity protections to US K-12 school districts and a petition for declaratory relief and rulemaking urging the agency to expand the E-rate program to cover these protections.

Democrats May Hitch E-Rate Boost to Next Pandemic Package

Sen Ed Markey (D-MA) wants to see Congress wrap serious money expanding the Federal Communications Commission’s E-Rate subsidy program into its next pandemic relief package — a key delineation as Democrats plot out both pandemic aid and subsequent infrastructure legislative goals. Sen Markey said this would be distinct from Democrats’ more comprehensive digital ambitions, which would come later, as part of President Joe Biden’s infrastructure deal-making.

NTCA, Fiber Broadband Association diss Starlink's RDOF prospects

Add the Fiber Broadband Association and NTCA-The Rural Broadband Association to the list of entities that don't think Starlink will be able to live up to its Rural Digital Opportunity Fund awards to deploy broadband in unserved rural areas across the US.

No internet, no vaccine: How lack of internet has limited vaccine access for racial minorities

Racial and ethnic minority communities that lack internet access have been left behind in the race to get a COVID-19 vaccine. We are researchers who study health disparities. We are concerned that even when vaccinations are offered in these communities, those at greatest risk for COVID-19 may be unable to obtain appointments without the help of family or friends. This includes racial and ethnic minority communities and older adults, the age group that is currently being vaccinated. Our research suggests that lack of internet access may be an important reason.

Acting Chairwoman Rosenworcel Commemorates 25th Anniversary of the 1996 Telecom Act

Federal Communications Commission Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel issued a statement to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the signing of the landmark Telecommunications Act of 1996.

How universal service fund programs and the Emergency Broadband Benefit program can close the digital divide

Millions of low-income Americans supported by the Federal Communications Commission’s Lifeline program have come to rely on mobile wireless services to meet their expanding education, health care and public safety needs.

Public Knowledge Petitions FCC to Begin Reconsidering Trump-Era Broadband Deregulation

Public Knowledge filed a petition asking the Federal Communications Commission to reconsider the agency’s determination under Chairman Pai that its deregulatory agenda was more important than public safety, the infrastructure access necessary for broadband competition, or universal service.

States push for Lifeline protections in Verizon/TracFone deal

The attorneys general from 16 states and the District of Columbia sent a letter to the Federal Communications urging the agency to request additional information from Verizon about its planned TracFone Wireless acquisition. “The potential for Verizon to pursue additional profits by reducing the access and/or quality of Lifeline services could shut out millions of low-income Americans from adequate communications services,” they wrote.

Digital divide lurks behind school reopening plans

Students without reliable in-home internet are already at an educational deficit, and many of the remote learning tools the pandemic has ushered in are here to stay.

The 25th Anniversary of the Telecommunications Act of 1996: The E-Rate Provision

A growing concern as we considered telecommunications reform efforts in the early 1990s was the creation or emergence of a “digital divide.” It is an issue that remains with us today. In the early 90s, there was a desire to harness the awesome power of advanced, digital communications services to enhance education. My boss, Rep.

"Rural Broadband": An Inefficient Solution for a Misdiagnosed Problem

The emphasis on “rural broadband” misses potentially the most important long-term issue. For valuable reasons, policymakers are focusing on the immediate issue of lack of internet access. However, delivering ultra-fast connectivity at an affordable price in a socially equitable manner in all of our American communities is just the table stakes.

E-rate Funding and Libraries: Preliminary Analysis of Trends Post-Modernization

While the academic literature on the Federal Communications Commission’s E-rate funding is sparse, especially when it comes to analysis of library participation, it does indicate that libraries have benefited from the program. Since 2016, E-rate data has been provided openly by the Universal Services Administrative Company. We use the available data to answer questions about funding commitments to libraries including total commitments, commitments per applicant type and geographical coding, and number of unique entities.

Why Internet Access is a Human Right -- And What We Can Do About It

A recent discussion at the University of Virginia, Addressing Barriers to Equitable Distance Learning, focused on how lack of internet access affects education, but also highlighted impacts related to health care, the economy and more. In an introduction, School of Education and Human Development Dean Bob Pianta outlined a “profound digital divide” that affects communities across the US, particularly low-income areas – both rural and urban – and communities of color. “The pandemic has exposed the realities and inequities of the digital divide,” he said.

Rural Electric Co-ops Question Viability of Winning RDOF Bids, Worry RDOF May Have Opposite Effect of Intention

Some of the winning bids in the Federal Communications Commission's Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) auction were for unrealistically low levels of support and the net result could be that those areas do not get service, according to two of the rural electric cooperatives that bid in the auction. Midwest Energy Communications (MEC) won $37 million in the RDOF auction as part of a consortium organized by the National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative (NRTC).

Senator Markey Leads Colleagues in Urging New FCC to Use Its Emergency Authority to Connect Students To Online Learning

Sen Ed Markey (D-MA), Commerce Committee Chairwoman Maria Cantwell (D-WA), and Sens Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), and Brian Schatz (D-HI) led 31 of their colleagues in a letter to the Federal Communications Commission, urging the agency’s new leadership to take long overdue action and utilize the E-Rate Program to help close the “homework gap” during the coronavirus pandemic.

Fix the RDOF now

Recently, the Federal Communications Commission received a letter from members of Congress urging it to use the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund long-form application process to ensure that winning bidders are capable of meeting their obligations. To honor Congressional intent, safeguard the public’s money and deliver necessary services to rural America, I suggest the FCC should:

National Verifier Year in Review

In 2020, the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) reached exciting milestones with the Lifeline National Eligibility Verifier (National Verifier). With the full launch of California on December 18, 2020, all 56 states and territories have fully launched in the National Verifier.

E-Rate 3.0 for a Remote Learning World

As policymakers address the immediate needs of students and teachers, they should also use this as an opportunity to take a fresh look at the E-rate program, both from how it has been operationalized to date as well as its goals for the future. AT&T believes the following principles should guide any expansion of the program:  

The Rural Digital Opportunity Fund: Rural America’s Broadband Hopes at Risk

The Federal Communications Commission's Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) Phase I encouraged many with the promise of needed support to connect homes with true broadband services in unserved rural communities. However, RDOF’s Phase I exposed many issues that will likely lead to deployment delays, missed expectations, or worse. Specifically, some applicants that bid in the Gigabit tier have submitted unrealistic wireless network designs that are highly unlikely to produce Gigabit service to rural communities.

Evaluating the Capabilities of Fixed Wireless Technology to Deliver Gigabit Performance in Rural Markets

This paper considers specifically the extent to which fixed wireless services may be capable of delivering Gigabit‐level services in the kinds of sparsely populated rural areas that the Rural Digital  Opportunity Fund (RDOF) auction primarily seeks to serve. Fixed wireless networks will face difficult, if not insurmountable, challenges to provide Gigabit services in very select circumstances when attempting to service distant, non‐town rural subscribers.

Momentum Grows to Shore Up FCC Subsidy Programs, But Deal Elusive

Pressure is rising on the Federal Communications Commission and Congress to rethink the $8 billion Universal Service Fund that subsidizes phone and broadband service, as it teeters on a shrinking budget base. Big phone companies like AT&T, entities that benefit from USF programs, and public interest groups see the Biden administration as a new opportunity to press their case for an overhaul of the funding mechanism.

Trump’s FCC failed on broadband access. Now, Biden’s FCC has to clean up the mess

For some time, many experts have been warning that the universal service funding system is in a death spiral, as the base on which the fees are assessed—generally a telecom company’s interstate and international end-user revenues—is shrinking. The new Federal Communications Commission is forced to consider a rising assessment on a shrinking revenue base to address an increasing demand, with Ajit Pai’s FCC having not done any of the analytic, political, or legal work necessary to make adjustments. Pai was willing to spend billions to address the needs of rural communities lacking broadband.