Universal Service Fund

As part of its continuing efforts to safeguard the security and integrity of the nation’s communications networks, the Federal Communications Commission has barred use of its $8.5 billion a year Universal Service Fund (USF) to purchase equipment and services from companies that pose a national security threat. The Order adopted initially designates Huawei Technologies Company and ZTE Corp. as companies covered by this rule and establishes a process for designating additional covered companies in the future.

The Federal Communications Commission addresses the petition of CTIA and others seeking a waiver of the FCC’s rules updating the Lifeline program’s minimum service standard for mobile broadband usage, which otherwise would take effect on Dec 1, 2019.

GAO was asked to review funding reforms and fraud controls the Federal Communications Commission has implemented for rate-of-return carriers. This report examines the extent to which FCC: (1) has implemented funding reforms specific to rate-ofreturn carriers, and (2) is managing fraud risks for the high-cost program in accordance with leading practices. One of the reforms that GAO reviewed established a funding mechanism for the carriers whereby FCC determines the level of financial support to provide the carriers based on cost and revenue estimates produced by a model.

The Federal Communications Commission released a Report and Order aimed at strengthening the Lifeline’s program’s enrollment, recertification, and reimbursement processes so that Universal Service Fund dollars are directed only toward qualifying low-income consumers. Specifically, these reforms include:

The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau (WCB), in conjunction with the Rural Broadband Auctions Task Force and the Office of Economics and Analytics, authorize $13,468,201.20 in Connect America Fund Phase II (Auction 903) support for winning bids. An Auction 903 support recipient is required to complete construction and begin commercially offering service to 40 percent of the requisite number of the locations in a state by the end of the third year of funding and to an additional 20 percent in each subsequent year, with 100 percent by the end of the sixth year. T

The Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband (SHLB) Coalition petitioned the Federal Communications Commission to reconsider certain portions of its “Promoting Telehealth in Rural America” Report and Order (R&O).

The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau issued an order granting two petitions seeking waiver of obligations to provide service to a specific number of locations as part of the rural broadband experiments program, filed by Allamakee-Clayton Electric Cooperative and Consolidated Communications Networks. The bureau said petitioners demonstrated the required number of locations exceeds the actual number the petitioners have been able to identify within their respective study areas.

The Federal Communications Commission began subsidizing home phone lines in 1985 to provide “the opportunities and security that phone service brings” to people who cannot afford it, according to the FCC’s website. The Lifeline program started including cellphone plans in 2005. Currently, subscribers receive $9.25 per month to put toward a discounted cellphone plan designed by provider companies. For some, that means a cap of 250 voice minutes and 2 GB of mobile data.

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai says bringing broadband to rural areas is his highest priority, but since there aren’t lucrative deals to be made, service providers have generally ignored rural communities like the one I called home. This puts opportunities afforded to the connected population out of reach and disproportionately affects Native American communities. Service providers haven’t had the incentive to establish connectivity in areas with rugged terrain.

Frontier Communications requests that the Federal Communications Commission waive Frontier’s obligations under the Connect America Fund (“CAF”) Phase II model-based support program to reach its 80% year-end 2019 milestone in Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah because it has not been permitted to build on the Navajo Nation for the past year. Frontier requires the use of the Navajo Nation public rights of way.