FCC
FCC Rejects Wireless Providers Bid for Extra Lifeline Payments
Commission ends four year dispute over when a pandemic waiver ended.
Digital Inclusion
Libraries and Schools Brace for FCC Cuts to Wi-Fi Programs
‘We don’t yet know the full extent of what this vote means for libraries and schools.’
USF
TechFreedom Urges Congress to Scrap Universal Service Surcharge
The extra fee appears on consumers’ phone bills to finance rural broadband, low-income, school and library connections.
FCC
Consumers’ Research Continues Legal Attacks on USF
Group calls on FCC to cut fees despite Supreme Court ruling.
Funding
USF Contribution Factor Expected to Hit Record 39.3 Percent
Would represent a 3.3 percentage point increase from Q3 2025.
Digital Inclusion
One Year Without the Affordable Connectivity Program
Without the broadband subsidy, families are facing harsh tradeoffs to stay connected.
Broadband Live
Broadband Breakfast on June 4, 2025 – What Happens to USF When SCOTUS Rules?
Defenders of USF counter that the 1996 Telecom Act sets clear limits and that Universal Service Administrative Company's role is strictly ministerial.
Benton
In ‘Delete’ Docket, Advocates Want Improvements to Lifeline, E-Rate and Local Control
Public interest groups say the FCC should modernize, not dismantle, key programs.
Funding
Missouri Wants FCC to Return $177 Million in Defaulted Grants
More than 85,000 locations meant to be served by the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund remain without service.
USF
USF Opponents Attacking ‘a Strawman’: Trump Administration
The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments on whether the fund is constitutional March 26.
USF
FCC to Increase Universal Service Contribution Factor to 36.6 Percent
New contribution factor will apply in the second quarter of 2025
USF
Still a Long Road for Universal Service Reform, Panelists Say
The fund's constitutionality is being challenged at the Supreme Court, and lawmakers are looking for new revenue source besides voice.
USF
Lawmakers, Past FCC Leaders Urge Supreme Court to Uphold USF
In all, 29 lawmakers and eight former FCC commissioners signed the briefs.
USAC
Rosenworcel Appoints Eight to Serve on USAC Board
Board members will provide leadership at a time of possible reform.
12 Days of Broadband
Loper Bright, A Court Ruling That Changes How D.C. Operates
Loper Bright sets the stage for a Republican-led overhaul of broadband and telecom policy in 2025.
12 Days of Broadband
A Year of Challenges for the Universal Service Fund
In 2024, USF encountered widespread calls for reforms to ensure its sustainability and effectiveness.
