Broadband Breakfast on July 24, 2024 - Reforming the Universal Service Fund
The program has seen recent decline in the contribution base and a significant shift to broadband connections.
The Universal Service Fund has been facing intense scrutiny in recent years, with growing calls for an overhaul of its contribution mechanism. Under the current system, this subsidy program helps low-income families get online by imposing a fee on telecom companies' revenues. The recent decline in the contribution base and a significant shift to broadband connections have sparked heated debates about the relevance and effectiveness of this legacy framework – particularly with the expiration of the Affordable Connectivity Program. Tune into Broadband Breakfast Live Online for a much-needed and timely discussion on the various issues surrounding USF modernization.
Michael D. Melero
Panelists
- Greg Guice, Chief Policy Officer, Vernonburg Group
- Pamela Arluk, Vice President and Associate General Counsel, NCTA —The Internet & Television Association
- Lynn Follansbee, Vice President, Strategic Initiatives & Partnerships, USTelecom
- Lindsay Stern, Attorney and Policy Manager, INCOMPAS
- Ted Hearn (moderator), Managing Editor, Broadband Breakfast
Greg Guice is Chief Policy Officer at Vernonburg Group. Greg has helped clients plan for and obtain access to federal resources to ensure they can serve their communities. For the past 25 years he has worked for the Federal Communications
Commission, in private practice and for a non-profit advocating for helping all people gain access to robust affordable broadband, including rural and tribal telecommunications companies as they pursued changes to federal law and policies to help them bring broadband to their communities. The dominant pursuit of Greg’s career has been closing the digital divide. He firmly believes that in a digital society, no one can be left without access to affordable broadband and the skills needed to secure the economic and educational benefits that access provides. Greg Guice earned his bachelor's degree in political science at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his law degree at the George Mason School of Law.
Pam Arluk is currently Vice President and Associate General Counsel at NCTA – The Internet &Television Association, where she focuses on issues related to Broadband Policy, Deployment and Universal Service. Prior to joining NCTA in January 2023, she worked at the FCC for more than 20 years in a variety of leadership positions within the Wireline Competition Bureau. Most recently, she was Chief of the Competition Policy Division leading on issues such as: net neutrality, privacy, pole attachments, digital discrimination, and numbering.
B. Lynn Follansbee is the Vice President, Strategic Initiatives & Partnerships for USTelecom. She leads the association’s efforts on state and third party engagement on policy issues impacting the broadband industry. She has also served as Vice President, Policy & Advocacy at USTelecom where she provided policy analysis and legal and regulatory support on a range of issues including broadband, universal service, telecom deregulation, privacy, and consumer protection. Lynn also represents USTelecom and its members before the Federal Communications Commission, the Federal Trade Commission and other federal agencies. Prior to joining USTelecom, she was an attorney-advisor in the Federal Communications Commission’s Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau and an associate with the Washington, DC based law firm of Lukas, LaFuria, Lantor & Sachs, where she represented clients before the Federal Communications Commission. Lynn is an active member of the Federal Communications Bar Association and the District of Columbia and Maryland Bars. She received his undergraduate degree from Boston College, cum laude, and her law degree from Catholic University’s Columbus School of Law.
Lindsay Stern is an Attorney and Policy Manager at INCOMPAS where she focuses on various issues including the Universal Service Fund, net neutrality, and competition. Prior to joining INCOMPAS, Lindsay was a Policy Fellow at Public Knowledge where she advocated for consumers on federal policies related to broadband deployment and affordability.
Ted Hearn is Managing Editor of Broadband Breakfast. He is also Editor and Publisher of Policyband, a new website dedicated to comprehensive coverage of the broadband communications market. A former communications executive and reporter for newsletters and trade journals, Hearn has decades of experience with traditional video and broadband industry trends, regulatory developments, technology advancements, and market dynamics.
