Vendors and Service Firms Critique “Anti-Stimulus” USF/ICC Reforms

On April 24, 2012, a group of professional service and vendor firms wrote a letter to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, explaining that the USF/ICC Transformation Order conflicts with the goals of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), and “will ultimately undermine job creation and retention gains envisioned by ARRA.”

The signatories of the letter include representatives from the following firms that support the rural telecom industry: CHR Solutions, Consortia Consulting, HunTel Engineering, Kadrmas Lee & Jackson, Ladd Engineering, Mapcom Systems, Monte R. Lee Engineering, National Information Solutions Cooperative, Palmetto Engineering & Consulting, RVW, Inc., and TCA. These parties have a vested interest in USF/ICC Reform, just as we do at JSI Capital Advisors. According to the letter, “Collectively, we employ more than 2,000 people and generate annual revenues exceeding $265m in both rural and urban areas. Our firms provide network construction and maintenance, engineering and environmental services, software and systems development, and accounting and financial services.” They continue, “We are precisely the type of firms that create and retain jobs as intended by the ARRA.”