John Thune

Bipartisan Senate Aides Expect to Unveil USF Modernization Framework by 2026

Reform effort seeks fair contributions to the Universal Service Fund from modern internet providers.

Akul Saxena

Oct 31, 2025 — 2 min read

Photo of (from left): Joey Wender (moderator), executive director of the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband (SHLB) Coalition, moderates a discussion on Universal Service Fund reform with Kristen Corra (moderator), policy counsel at SHLB; Carmen Suro-Bredeson, senior policy counsel to Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.); and Scott Leonard, senior legislative counsel to Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), at AnchorNets on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025.

ARLINGTON, Va., Oct. 31, 2025 — Senate aides leading the bipartisan Universal Service Fund Working Group said they expected to unveil a modernization framework by early 2026 that would preserve the fund’s core programs.

At a discussion hosted by the Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband (SHLB) Coalition, Scott Leonard, senior legislative counsel to Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, and Carmen Suro-Bredeson, senior policy counsel to Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., said the bipartisan working group aimed to make the Universal Service Fund sustainable and predictable while updating it to reflect how Americans connect today - through broadband, streaming, and online platforms rather than traditional telephone service.

Leonard said programs such as E-Rate and Rural Health Care remained “lifelines” for remote communities, noting that Alaska’s cost structure made universal service support “essential for education, healthcare, and economic development.” Suro-Bredeson said the same held true in rural New Mexico, where reliable internet access “can be the difference between slow access and no access at all.”

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John Thune Ben Ray Luján New Mexico USF AnchorNets 2025 Dan Sullivan Alaska Carmen Suro-Bredeson Schools Health and Libraries Broadband Coalition Amy Klobuchar