Industry Groups Submit Letter to the FCC on the Future of Universal Service

The Ad Hoc Telecom Users Committee, INCOMPAS, NTCA – The Rural Broadband Association, Public Knowledge, the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband (SHLB) Coalition, and the Voice on the Net Coalition, as well 332 entities representing a broad and diverse group of stakeholders submitted this letter to the Federal Communications Commission to take immediate action to reform and stabilize the funding mechanism that supports the Universal Service Fund (USF). The “Call to Action” letter urges the FCC to expand the services that pay into the USF to include broadband internet access services (BIAS). Stabilizing the USF is not a new issue, but what has made reform urgent is the increased (and continuing) instability of the funding mechanism at a time when broadband access has never been more important. Promoting the deployment, sustainability, and affordability of communications networks and services is how we help connect rural and low-income consumers, schools, libraries, and rural health care providers. In addition, expanding the current revenues-based system to include BIAS mitigates gamesmanship and promotes transparency by removing incentives of providers to arbitrarily allocate revenues from bundled services to one service and not the other. Lastly, there is significant and diverse support for the Commission to act fast to stabilize the USF. No proposed solution for USF reform will be perfect, but the FCC should not wait any longer.  It is time to modernize the USF contribution methodology and sustain the USF for the future.