Universal Service Fund

The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) waives the FCC’s rules, on its own accord, to include in West Side Telephone Company’s (West Side’s) Enhanced Alternative Connect America Model (Enhanced A-CAM) offer locations that would otherwise have been treated as served by a competitor due to a federally enforceable commitment by ClearFiber. This limited waiver applies only to the locations within West Side’s West Virginia study area where ClearFiber is no longer subject to a

Congress is currently deliberating changes to the E-rate program, and one proposal has raised eyebrows: requiring schools to ban social media access over their networks as a condition for receiving E-rate funding. While the intention—to protect children from social media risks—is commendable, we have reservations about using the E-rate program as a lever to address this issue.

Spectrum announced the launch of Spectrum Internet, Mobile, TV and Voice services to more than 1,300 homes and small businesses near the communities of Famous, Moscow Mills, New Hope and Troy, Missouri.

Without congressional action, funding for the Federal Communications Commission's Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) will expire at the end of May 2024. With this in mind, the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, Media and Broadband convened a May 2 hearing on 'The Future of Broadband Affordability' to discuss congressional funding of U.S.

The Federal Communications Commission announced the appointment of the Honorable Mary Pat Regan to serve on the Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service (Universal Service Joint Board). The FCC also announced the appointment of the Honorable Karen Charles,the Honorable Mary Pat Regan, the Honorable Maida J. Coleman, and the Honorable Steven M. DeFrank, to the Federal-State Joint Board on Jurisdictional Separations (Separations Joint Board).

The US Congress faces an imminent decision about the future of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) and the connectivity it delivers to 23 million households.

Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Chris Murphy (D-CT), and Katie Britt (R-AK) introduced new legislation to keep kids off social media and help protect them from its harmful impacts. The Kids Off Social Media Act updates legislation Schatz introduced last spring and would set a minimum age of 13 to use social media platforms and prevent social media companies from feeding algorithmically-targeted content to users under the age of 17.

Sen John Fetterman (D-PA) introduced the Promoting Affordable Connectivity Act which would sustainably fund the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) by removing it from the appropriations process and incorporating it into Universal Service Fund (USF) distribution. The ACP has provided discounts on internet service to more than 23 million households—including over 700,000 in Pennsylvania—that could not otherwise afford it.

The rural broadband industry has such a great success story to tell. In the face of transformative technologies, regulatory challenges and increasing competition, you have embraced that change, stayed committed and looked to close the digital divide by delivering the robust and high-quality services that you do every single day. Your commitment to sustainable networks and affordable services is what really has made rural communities fertile ground for innovation. We’ve seen that in so many ways, and this innovation contributes billions of dollars to the U.S. economy every single year.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration preparing to award over $44 billion to construct rural broadband networks. Almost by definition, these networks will be built in rural areas where it’s hard to justify a business plan where revenues generated from the grant areas are sufficient to fund the ongoing operation and eventual upgrades to any broadband networks.