Eleventh Circuit Rules in Favor of USF Constitutionality

WASHINGTON, December 18, 2023 – The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against a conservative nonprofit that challenged the constitutionality of the Universal Service Fund. 

The USF spends about $8 billion annually to fund four internet subsidy programs for rural infrastructure, low-income households, schools and libraries, and healthcare providers. It has been funded since 1996 by fees on phone bills from voice providers, with the Federal Communications Commission’s Universal Service Administrative Company responsible for collecting and distributing the money.