A recent survey and resultant study conducted by the Rural Wireless Association presents a very positive picture of how small RLECs have used legacy USF support to improve and expand telecommunications and broadband services. It also makes a strong case that more support is needed to help them with the future provision of 5G services. … Read More
NTCA Plays Key Role in Expanding USF Support
NTCA –The Rural Broadband Association, has become the undisputed national champion of small, rural telecommunications and broadband service providers. In our May 14th blog, we partially quoted NTCA CEO Shirley Bloomfield’s enthusiastic endorsement of the proposed House bill to add broadband services to the USF contribution base. Now, in a recently released study, NTCA has … Read More
Proposed Bill Would Include Broadband Services in USF Contribution Base
Finally, legislation has been introduced in Congress to impose USF support payments on broadband service providers. The Universal Broadband Act, sponsored by Congressmen Collin Peterson (D-MN) and Don Young (R-AK) and supported by a bipartisan group of eight other Representatives, will – if passed – expand the USF contribution base to include all broadband services. … Read More
Budget Cap on USF Fails THE Basic Test
As you probably know, the FCC’s recent NPRM proposed an $11.49 billion cap on the total Universal Service Fund. This amount represents the sum of the authorized budgets of the four USF programs in 2018. Not surprisingly, comments on this proposal drew a goodly number of dissenting views from assorted industry sources. One group argued … Read More
FCC Creates New Fraud Division
A newly established Fraud Division, operating within the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau, will help protect USF programs from further fraudulent behavior. The Commission’s Order, released earlier this year and just recently made effective, lists just a few examples of past fraud and abuse of Universal Service programs. DataConnex, for instance, was fined $18.7 million for defrauding … Read More
Hard USF Caps and USF Principles . . . Oil and Water
The FCC’s recent proposal to impose a total cap on all USF programs is completely incompatible with its long-standing Universal Service principles. The nationwide Communications Act of 1934 stated that “ALL (emphasis added) people in the United States shall have access to rapid, efficient, nationwide communications service with adequate facilities at reasonable charges.” Thus was … Read More
No More Rate Floors
The FCC’s recent decision that eliminates the high cost USF program’s local service rate floor rule is a real win for small RLECs all over the country. The rate floor forced proportionately higher local rates on rural customers, dampened RLEC investment in broadband, and actually ran counter to the FCC’s own core Universal Service principles. … Read More
ICORE Can Assist RLECs With ALL Aspects of Recent USF Reform and BDS Orders
The FCC has recently adopted very important orders on Universal Service Reform and Business Data Services options for the nation’s smallest, most rural carriers. ICORE stands ready to help every RLEC needing assistance with any provision of either order. The just-issued USF Reform Report and Order, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, and Order on Reconsideration provide … Read More
The Time to Rationalize Broadband USF Support for Rate of Return Carriers is NOW
The telecommunications industry, the FCC, state regulators, Congress and a plethora of other interested parties have been discussing, offering opinions, arguing, filing and commenting on, and endlessly debating the insufficiency and unpredictability of broadband universal support for RoR carriers. For far, far too long. This uncertainty has deterred investment, negatively affected rural carriers and their … Read More
ICORE Files Comments on NPRM Concerning USF Support for Rate of Return Carriers
Our May 25th Comments stressed to the FCC that to meet its goals of Universal Service, support to high cost, low revenue rural areas must be consistent, predictable and fully sufficient to allow for the growth and deployment of advanced, high speed broadband services. Thus, the Commission, “must not be bound by any rigid budget … Read More
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