The Universal Service Fund (USF) was created to ensure all consumers have affordable access to our nation’s telecommunications networks. During the past six years, significant increases in USF payments to competitive eligible telecommunications carriers (CETCs) have raised important concerns about the future financial stability of the USF program.
In an attempt to provide an interim solution that would allow for the exploration of long-term reform, the Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service (Joint Board) earlier this year recommended that the Federal Communications Commission implement a temporary cap on USF payments to CETCs. This proposal has produced intense debate in Congress and throughout segments of the telecommunications industry.
The Coalition to Keep America Connected (CKAC – www.keepamericaconnected.org ) sponsored this conference to release and discuss a study that they have commissioned that explores the potential consumer impact of the reduced USF support payments that could result from a failure to implement the temporary cap recommended by the Joint Board. For many rural wireline companies, USF support makes it possible to provide millions of consumers with affordable access to telecommunications services.
Hudson Institute is pleased to invite you to attend the release of the findings of this paper, bringing together esteemed experts to review the study, and featuring keynote addresses by U.S. Representative Lee Terry (R-NE) and FCC Commissioner Deborah Tate. Panelists include the authors of the study, Robert Westcott and Robert Cohen; Harold Furchtgott-Roth, former commissioner for the FCC and Hudson Senior Fellow; Roger Nishi, Vice President of Industry Relations for Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom and 2007 OPASTCO Chairman; Art Brodsky, communications director for Public Knowledge; and Gregory Rohde, former assistant secretary for communications and information and administrator of NTIA.
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