USAC
USF Spent $8.4 billion in 2025
A new report detailed how federal subsidies were spent as reforms and scrutiny grew.
Michael O'Rielly
Experts Call for Modernization, Rewrite of 1996 Telecom Act
Ahead of Thursday's hearing, witnesses point to opportunities to promote competition, broadband classification, and AI infrastructure.
USF
Universal Service Fund Contribution Factor to Hit 37% in Q2
Lawmakers and experts say the USF funding mechanism is unsustainable and outdated.
FCC
California Regulator Asks FCC to Reverse Course on Lifeline Revocation
State regulators warn 1.77 million Californians could face service disruptions
USF
Universal Service Fund Contribution Factor Projected at 37.6% in 2026
Believe it or not, that 37.6 percent is down from the current 38.1 percent.
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
