Universal Service Fund

Reps. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) and Collin Peterson (D-MN) introduced the Rural Broadband Network Advancement (RBNA) Act, which would invest in expanding broadband access in rural areas. The bill would establish a new program at the Federal Communications Commission that would collect Network User Fees from edge providers (Netflix, AmazonVideo, etc.) based on the data transported over the last mile of networks. User fees would then be invested by the rural broadband providers to help build, maintain and operate robust broadband networks in high-cost rural areas.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai visited East Central Electric Cooperative in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, to discuss how a recent FCC investment will help connect rural Oklahomans to high-speed internet service. East Central is receiving $22.2 million to deploy gigabit connections to over 7,700 locations in rural Oklahoma. “I’m pleased that East Central Electric Coop will help close that divide by using FCC support to connect rural Oklahomans,” said Chairman Pai.

On April 10, 2019, Sens John Thune (R-SD) and Jerry Moran (R-KS) wrote to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai in support of eliminating the Universal Service Fund High-Cost program's rate floor rule and ending the federal mandate that increases telephone rates for rural Americans. The senators called the rule "inherently flawed and unnecessary." On May 6, Chairman Pai wrote back to say that the FCC had eliminated the rule. "consider this a big win for rural Americans—we repealed a defacto federal government mandate that increased rates paid by rural Americans."

With this Order, the Federal Communications Commission takes necessary steps to provide full funding for all eligible services requested from the Rural Health Care universal service support mechanism (RHC Program) for the 2018 funding year (FY). In FY 2018, multi-year and upfront payment funding requests filed during the window sought support exceeding the $150 million funding cap for those payments. FCC rules would require the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) to prorate requested support received by eligible health care providers.

The Federal Communications Commission has proposed a package of fatally flawed plans that would fundamentally undercut Lifeline. May 15's FCC oversight hearing is an opportunity for Congress to hold the agency accountable for its disastrous proposals. 

The Federal Communications Commission authorized nearly $111.6 million in funding over the next decade to expand broadband to 37,148 unserved rural homes and businesses in 12 states representing the first wave of support from the Connect America Fund Phase II auction. Providers will begin receiving funding in May 2019. In total, the auction allocated $1.488 billion in support to expand broadband to more than 700,000 unserved rural homes and small businesses over the next 10 years.

In written testimomny before the Senate Committee On Appropriations' Subcommittee On Financial Services And General Government, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai outlined the commission's priorities for the next year:

On February 14, 2019, 11 US senators wrote to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai with concerns about broadband mapping problems. They asked the following questions:

The Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau designated four petitioners -- Bloosurf, Hankins Information Technology, Northern Arapaho Tribal Industries (Wind River Internet), and Tombigbee Communications, Inc -- as eligible telecommunications carriers (ETCs) in eligible high-cost areas within the specified states. Designation is conditioned upon and limited to petitioners’ authorization to receive Connect America support awarded through the Connect America Fund Phase II auction (Auction 903) and effective only upon such authorization. One of these petitioners, Wind R

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Sen Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) introduced the “Broadband Interagency Coordination Act of 2019.” The legislation would direct the Federal Communications Commission, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to enter into a memorandum of understanding to coordinate the distribution of federal funds for broadband deployment. Such an agreement would reduce overbuilding and ensure funds are targeted to unserved and underserved areas.