FCC to Consider High Cost Update at May Meeting
The agency will also vote on broadband data collection and robocall items.
WASHINGTON, April 29, 2026 – The Federal Communications Commission will vote at its May 20 meeting on an item exploring reforms to its High Cost program.
The program spends about $4.5 billion each year on the building and maintenance of rural broadband networks. It has more than 15 programs under its umbrella according to a 2025 annual report.
“We will vote to launch a High-Cost Modernization initiative that explores how the agency’s legacy high-cost programs can be refreshed to reflect today’s marketplace,” FCC Chairman Brendan Carr wrote in a Tuesday blog post. “As sunset dates for some of the programs approach, this proposed item would encourage a conversation on approaches to updating a subset of legacy support mechanisms to align them with the modern communications landscape.”
