Cable Operators, Verizon Throw Support Behind Universal Service Fund Expansion

Cable operators and phone company Verizon both threw their support behind expanding the Universal Service Fund to include broadband, though the National Cable & Telecommunications Association made clear it would have to be a targeted approach. The fund, which telecom companies like Verizon pay into, supports telephone service to areas that are hard or uneconomical to reach. Broadband is now considered the new lifeline service. Reps Rick Boucher (D-VA) and Lee Terry (R-Neb) have co-sponsored a bill to make that change, as well as several others. Boucher, chairman of the House Communications Subcommittee, held a hearing on a draft of the bill Tuesday.