Universal Service Fund Working Group Looking for FCC Briefing
Lawmakers are considering how best to reform the fund.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 19, 2025 – Lawmakers working on reforming an $8 billion-per-year broadband subsidy are looking for a briefing from Federal Communications Commission staff to help them out.
The FCC manages the Universal Service Fund, and lawmakers from both parties and chambers of Congress are working to make the program more sustainable. It’s currently funded by fees on interstate and international voice revenue, a pool of cash that’s only shrinking as demand remains consistent.
“Given ongoing discussions about the Fund’s stability, contribution methodology, and long-term policy direction, it is important for our offices to receive updated information directly from Commission staff,” Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., one of the working group leaders, wrote in a Wednesday letter to the agency.
Member discussion