FCC Streamlines Reporting Rules for Universal Service Recipients

In this Report and Order, by eliminating several rules that are either duplicative of other reporting requirements or are simply no longer necessary, we streamline the annual reporting requirements for eligible telecommunications carriers (ETCs) that receive high-cost universal service support. We also re-emphasize the importance of providing the public with access to non-confidential information filed by ETCs, and we direct the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) to work closely with state and Tribal governments and other stakeholders to improve public access to the information that ETCs will continue to file. In doing so, we reduce ETCs’ regulatory burdens while strengthening the tools for program oversight in furtherance of our goal of protecting the high cost universal support program against waste, fraud, and abuse.