Reps Upton and Walden Comment on FCC Chairman Wheeler USF Plan

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI) and Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) issued the following statement regarding Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler’s plans to include broadband in the Universal Service Fund’s Lifeline program: “Broadband adoption creates countless opportunities for individuals and small businesses and is a welcome generator of economic growth and jobs. The time is ripe for reforming the Universal Service Fund to meet the communications and technology environment of the 21st century -- unfortunately, this proposal misses the mark on the reforms we need,” said Chairman Upton and Chairman Walden, “We have long called for the need to cap the USF, and each fund within it, to ensure that ratepayer dollars are spent wisely. Simply expanding the program without ensuring its effectiveness or longevity is the wrong approach if we're going to do right by those who pay for the program, and those who depend on it.”