An appeals court ruled the current structure of the Universal Service Fund is unconstitutional. This decision puts at risk the high-speed connectivity of millions of rural and low-income Americans and the future trajectory of U.S. economic growth and global competitiveness. Now it’s Congress’s duty to promptly and decisively make clear the nation’s unwavering commitment to affordable, universal connectivity. The court’s fundamentally flawed decision hands Congress an enormously important opportunity to seize the initiative and ensure our nation’s abiding commitment to universal service. The broadband connectivity that the USF enables in turn drives the entire U.S. technology and internet ecosystem. The stakes are unimaginably high for your constituents and continued U.S. leadership of an intensely competitive global information economy. Fortunately, diligent work has been underway in Congress to forge a sustainable path forward to a lean, effective and modern Universal Service Fund. That path means dramatically reducing the fees on consumer telephone bills by expanding the base of contributors to include the primary financial beneficiaries of universal connectivity. Those beneficiaries are the handful of Big Tech platforms that have long dominated the global internet but don’t contribute to our shared national commitment to universal connectivity. Congress must move forward now with this modern and equitable funding approach, and remove any potential doubts regarding the future of these critical programs.

California is getting more than $1.8 billion in federal grant money to expand high-speed broadband service in areas where residents have little to no access. But advocates say the state is undercounting the true number of residents who lack internet, especially those living in apartment buildings. That could mean dense cities like Los Angeles not getting their fair share. To identify underserved areas, the state uses broadband maps, which are based on self-reported data from internet companies.  But that data has some significant flaws. For example, an entire 20-unit apartment building can count as “served” if even one household — or just the leasing office — is able to get connected. The rest of the building's residents may not have service, either because they can’t afford it or because their units don’t have the necessary wiring or infrastructure to make it possible. Without a proper headcount, L.A. appears to have a smaller share of unserved or underserved residents — and that could stop the billions of dollars from the federal Broadband, Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program from reaching the people it’s supposed to help.

The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) seeks comment on the proposed eligible services list (ESL) for the schools and libraries universal service support mechanism (more commonly known as the E-Rate program) for funding year (FY) 2025. The  Bureau proposes revisions to the draft FY 2025 eligible services list to implement the changes adopted by the FCC in the Wi-Fi Hotspot Report and Order. The FCC identifies changes between the funding year 2024 and the proposed funding year 2025 ESL, and seeks comment on whether it should adopt or modify these changes.

• The proposed ESL revises the description of “wireless” service under Category One to read “Wireless (e.g., fixed wireless; microwave; mobile service for use on school buses; or mobile service for use with Wi-Fi hotspots).”  This revision reflects the FCC’s adoption of a Report and Order making eligible the off-premises use of Wi-Fi hotspots and mobile wireless Internet access services.
• The proposed ESL amends the explanation of “Wireless services and wireless Internet access” in the “Eligibility Explanations for Certain Category One and Category Two Services” to clarify a number of issues from the Wi-Fi Hotspot Report and Order.