FCC Advisor Advocates Universal Service Fund Reform
TAMPA, Fla., February 1, 2010 – Broadband is as important today as television and radio were in the last century, a senior policy advisor for the Federal Communications Commission said at an association annual meeting this week.
TAMPA, Fla., February 2, 2010 – Broadband is as important today as television and radio were in the last century, a senior policy advisor for the Federal Communications Commission said at an association annual meeting this week.
Senior Advisor Carol Mattey also told attendees of the National Telecommunications Cooperative Association meeting in Tampa, Fla., that reform of the Universal Service Fund is critical, outlining five key principles to achieve that goal.
She said:
- The FCC should not be afraid to revisit the current regulatory regime;
- Government must articulate a clear vision of its goal and a timeline for reaching it;
- USF policy must be technology-neutral;
- A shift must occur gradually; and
- The plan must include flexibility so providers can adapt to a changing marketplace.
She added, according to an NCTA statement, that the National Broadband Plan will be a recommendation to Congress, but it’s the FCC’s rulemaking process that will generate substantive changes and reform.
