The FCC has voted unanimously to reform the Universal Service Fund and intercarrier compensation system. It is creating a new Connect America Fund, with a budget of $4.5 billion to meet the end-goal of this policy shift: extending broadband infrastructure to rural Americans, as opposed to subsidizing rural phone service. That in itself could be seen as controversial: Certainly there are people in these areas — to say nothing of their representatives in Congress — who do not wish to see these subsidies end and have no interest in broadband-based services.
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FCC Forges Ahead With Broadband Buildout Plans
Posted by: Erika Morphy October 29, 2011 05:00 AMThe FCC has voted unanimously to reform the Universal Service Fund and intercarrier compensation system. It is creating a new Connect America Fund, with a budget of $4.5 billion to meet the end-goal of this policy shift: extending broadband infrastructure to rural Americans, as opposed to subsidizing rural phone service. That in itself could be seen as controversial: Certainly there are people in these areas — to say nothing of their representatives in Congress — who do not wish to see these subsidies end and have no interest in broadband-based services.