Cruz Wins Texas: Likely Senate Commerce Chair Supports Appropriations for USF

WASHINGTON, Nov. 6, 2024 – Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz fended off a Democratic challenger last night as Donald Trump won the presidential election. With the Senate also in Republican hands, Cruz is seen as a likely candidate for chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, where he’s currently the ranking member.

Cruz has expressed support for a major shake-up of the already imperiled Universal Service Fund: funding the $8 billion-per-year broadband subsidy through Congressional appropriations, rather than the current model of fees on telecom providers. The fees are managed by a non-profit entity that is responsible to the Federal Communications Commission.

“To get spending under control, Congress – not the FCC – must take charge of defining universal service and deciding where USF funds may go,” Cruz wrote in a report released earlier this year.