Universal Service Fund

In this Order, the Federal Communications Commission adopts the final eligible services list for funding year 2025 for the schools and libraries universal service support program (more commonly referred to as the E-Rate program). The FCC also releases the final eligible services list for funding year 2025 and authorize the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) to open the annual FCC Form 471 application filing window no earlier than 60 days after the release of this Order.

Elon Musk’s influence over the federal government is extraordinary, and extraordinarily lucrative. His companies were promised $3 billion across nearly 100 different contracts with 17 federal agencies in 2023. Musk’s rocket company, SpaceX, effectively dictates NASA’s rocket launch schedule. The Defense Department relies on him to get most of its satellites to orbit. His entanglements with federal regulators are also numerous and adversarial.

Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) named Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel its October 2024 Porker of the Month for her decision to block funding for Starlink to deploy satellite internet service in hard-to-reach areas of the country. The FCC approved and then revoked SpaceX Starlink’s $885.5 million competitive award under the Rural Development Opportunity Fund (RDOF).

Issa Asad, 51, of Southwest Ranches (FL), and Q Link Wireless LLC, of Dania Beach (FL), pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud and commit offenses against the United States in connection with a years-long scheme to steal over $100 million from the Federal Communications Commission's Lifeline program. Asad, Q Link’s CEO, also pleaded guilty to laundering money from a separate scheme to defraud a different federal program meant to aid individuals and businesses hurt by the Covid-19 pandemic.

In 2021 Vice President Kamala Harris (D-CA) agreed to lead the administration’s $42 billion plan for expanding high-speed internet to millions of Americans. That year, she tweeted that “we can bring broadband to rural America today.” Today, nearly three years after Congress passed the infrastructure bill that created the program, not one home or business has been connected through it.

At the Connected Oklahoma – Rural Broadband Summit in Oklahoma City, I shared my thoughts on the future of the Universal Service Fund (USF) and Low Earth Orbit satellites. Here's the homework I asked the audience to do:

Let’s discuss the current Broadband Policy State of Play and how the election may affect it. There are four fundamental goals of broadband policy:

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration's mission is to build a better-connected world. That work includes connecting everyone in America to reliable, affordable high-speed Internet service. The Internet for All initiative is historic. As such, we would be remiss if we failed to learn lessons from the recent history of other federal broadband programs. Top of mind are the failings of the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund, or RDOF.

The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability is investigating the Federal Communications Commission’s decision to reaffirm its revocation of an award authorizing Space Exploration Technologies Corporation’s Starlink to receive broadband deployment subsidies through the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF).  The Committee seeks information from the FCC to ensure that the Commission followed established processes and is not improperly using the regulatory process for political purposes.

The Federal Communications Commission’s top Republican has opposed expanding the agency’s broadband subsidy for schools and libraries. He said the July ruling that found the fund unconstitutional could be an additional reason to proceed with caution.