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**LomodiorCon** · 05-25-2012, 09:23 PM

More info on the Universal Service Fund.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Service_Fund

Telecommunications Act of 1996. The 1996 Act states that all providers of telecommunications services should contribute to federal universal service in some equitable and nondiscriminatory manner; there should be specific, predictable, and sufficient Federal and State mechanisms to preserve and advance universal service; all schools, classrooms, health care providers, and libraries should, generally, have access to advanced telecommunications services; and finally, that the Federal-State Joint Board and the FCC should determine those other principles that, consistent with the 1996 Act, are necessary to protect the public interest. As of the first quarter of 2012, the USF fee, which changes quarterly, equals 17.9 percent of a telecom company's interstate and end-user revenues.[1]

On October 27, 2011, the FCC approved a six-year transfer process that would transition money from the Universal Service Fund High-Cost Program to a new $4.5 billion a year Connect America Fund for broadband Internet expansion, effectively putting an end to the USF High-Cost Fund by 2018.[2][3]

05-25-2012, 09:23 PM	#8
LomodiorCon Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 480 Senior Member	More info on the Universal Service Fund. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Service_Fund Telecommunications Act of 1996. The 1996 Act states that all providers of telecommunications services should contribute to federal universal service in some equitable and nondiscriminatory manner; there should be specific, predictable, and sufficient Federal and State mechanisms to preserve and advance universal service; all schools, classrooms, health care providers, and libraries should, generally, have access to advanced telecommunications services; and finally, that the Federal-State Joint Board and the FCC should determine those other principles that, consistent with the 1996 Act, are necessary to protect the public interest. As of the first quarter of 2012, the USF fee, which changes quarterly, equals 17.9 percent of a telecom company's interstate and end-user revenues.[1] On October 27, 2011, the FCC approved a six-year transfer process that would transition money from the Universal Service Fund High-Cost Program to a new $4.5 billion a year Connect America Fund for broadband Internet expansion, effectively putting an end to the USF High-Cost Fund by 2018.[2][3]
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