Address the 'Torpedoes in the Water' Against USF, Says Commissioner Carr

The Federal Communications Commission’s top Republican has opposed expanding the agency’s broadband subsidy for schools and libraries. He said the July ruling that found the fund unconstitutional could be an additional reason to proceed with caution. “I don’t think we should be pushing the bounds of USF when there are some very significant torpedoes in the water that go to the fundamental foundations of the program,” said Commissioner Brendan Carr. Carr, the agency’s former general counsel, was referring to recent FCC actions expanding the possible uses for the E-Rate program, a subset of its $8 billion-per-year Universal Service Fund that provides broadband discounts to schools and libraries.