Senator Fischer reports on an opportunity for folks to comment on the USF (Universal Service Fund)…

The USF Working Group reorganized in June – led by Senators Deb Fischer (R-NE) and Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Chair and Ranking Member of the Telecommunications and Media Subcommittee, and joined by Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Gary Peters (D-MI), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), and Jackie Rosen (D-NV). Representatives Richard Hudson (R-NC9) and Doris Matsui (D-CA7), Chair and Ranking Member of the Communications and Technology Subcommittee, lead the Group’s efforts in the House. Together, the bipartisan, bicameral USF Working Group invites public input about the future of the Federal Communications Commission’s Universal Service Fund.

Today, the USF comprises the High-Cost Program, Low-Income (Lifeline) Program, Schools and Libraries (E-Rate) Program, and the Rural Health Care Program. The Working Group aims to provide a bipartisan forum to guide reforms to the USF, ensuring that connectivity reaches Americans in every community across the nation.

The Working Group seeks comments from stakeholders across the country to explore the current state of the Fund, and assess proposals for the Fund’s modernization and reliable support of voice and broadband services into the future – particularly following the Supreme Court’s decision in Federal Communications Commission v. Consumers’ Research (consolidated with Schools, Health & Libraries Broadband Coalition v. Consumers’ Research).