USF Exemption Included In Spending Measure

[SOURCE: Congress Daily, AUTHOR: Molly M. Peterson]
As part of talks on a bill that will fund several major federal departments and agencies for the coming year, House and Senate negotiators agreed to include Senate-favored language to exempt the Universal Service Administrative Corp. from Anti-Deficiency Act requirements for one year. The ADA bars federal agencies from making financial commitments that exceed their available funds. Critics say those accounting rules have disrupted e-rate payments designed to subsidize Internet connections for schools and libraries, and could sharply increase consumers' monthly telephone surcharges. The one-year exemption comes with a gentleman's agreement between House Commerce Committee Chairman Joe Barton (R-TX) and Senate counterpart Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) that their committees would work together next year to address the ADA issue as part of a broader universal service fund overhaul bill.
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