Five telecom groups back the Federal-State Joint Board’s proposal...
Five telecom groups back the Federal-State Joint Board’s proposal to cap universal support to competitive eligible telecom carriers (CETCs), they told Senate Commerce Committee leaders in a June 25 letter. A cap “is a necessary first step toward comprehensive…
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reform of the Universal Service Fund (USF),” said the International Telephone & Telecommunications Alliance, Western Telecommunications Alliance, National Telecommunications and Cooperative Association, USTelecom and OPASTCO. During 2001-2006, CETC support ballooned $15 million yearly to nearly $1 billion, the groups said, while funding for incumbent carriers has remained flat since 2003. CETC funding burdens consumers, the groups argued, adding that the money “is being spent inefficiently” by underwriting multiple wireless carriers vying to serve the same geographic areas.