Universal Service Fund

FCC Cracks Down on Universal Service Fund Cheats

Stevie Converse — Tue, 20 May 2008 07:25:17 -0700

They rigged bidding auctions for contracts to sell computers to school libraries. They created bogus companies and billed the government for hundreds of thousands of dollars. They got school administrators to buy equipment on the false premise that funding for the gear had been secured. They inflated the cost of the products that they provided to schools.

USF: Behind the Times

Holiday Shapiro — Wed, 07 May 2008 06:44:22 -0700

The Universal Service Fund, or USF, was created by the FCC in 1997, is funded by a small charge telecommunications operators add to your bill, and has the intended purpose of increasing the availability and affordability of telecom services in rural areas and for low-income people.

Fewer Phones, More Broadband: FCC Struggling to Fix USF

Stevie Converse — Mon, 05 May 2008 05:13:02 -0700

A divided Federal Communications Commission has put a cap on Universal Service Fund (USF) payouts, but even the agency's majority calls it a stop-gap measure for a program in serious trouble.

Federal Regulators Cap Cell Phone Company Payments

Stevie Converse — Fri, 02 May 2008 06:28:08 -0700

Federal regulators on Thursday agreed to temporarily cap a growing subsidy program that paid nearly $1.2 billion last year to cell phone companies that do business in rural areas.

FCC Votes to Cap Fund for Rural Phone Subsidies

Stevie Converse — Fri, 02 May 2008 05:11:03 -0700

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission voted on Thursday to impose a cap on fast-growing subsidies the government allots to providers of telephone service in rural America.

Texas Public Utility Commission Approves Universal Service Fund Cut

Holiday Shapiro — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 07:00:26 -0700

The Texas Public Utility Commission has unanimously approved a rules change that will reduce the state's Universal Service fund by $144 million over the next four years.

FCC May Cap Phone Subsidy Fund

Stevie Converse — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 09:03:19 -0700

Federal regulators are on the verge of capping a multibillion-dollar phone subsidy program, a move that would help consumers who are frustrated over bigger phone bills.

FCC Set to Limit Fund for Rural Phone Subsidies

Stevie Converse — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 07:49:20 -0700

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission was poised on Monday to impose a cap on fast-growing subsidies the government allots to providers of telephone service in rural America.

Use Universal Service Fund to Accelerate Transition to Broadband, Benton Tells FCC

Holiday Shapiro — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 10:20:50 -0700

In comments filed at the Federal Communications Commission on Thursday, the Benton Foundation argues that the federal Universal Service Fund (USF) is a crucial element in reaching the nation's goal of ubiquitous, affordable high-speed Internet service.

768 kb/s Still Isn't Enough

Holiday Shapiro — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 06:26:10 -0700

Telecom industry professionals think the current Universal Service Fund should be used to expand rural broadband, according to a recent Tellabs survey, and they believe location and economic status should not determine the extent to which broadband is available. That's just one of many conclusions that show the telecom industry isn't happy with the current state of regulation.

Universal Service Reform and Universal Broadband

Holiday Shapiro — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 08:17:26 -0700

On January 29, 2008, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released three Notices of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRMs) asking for public comment on reforming the Universal Service Fund (USF) and recommendations made by the Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service (Joint Board) in November