Senate Communications Plans Mid-May Hearing on USF Revamp: Lujan
Senate Communications Subcommittee Chairman Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., confirmed Thursday he plans a hearing as soon as the second week of May with a primary focus on a potential legislative USF revamp. “My intention is for the focus to be…
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in and around USF” given ongoing work with Communications ranking member John Thune, R-S.D., to “create a working group” to draft a legislative revamp, Lujan told us. “Thus far it feels like there’s bipartisan interest from all sides,” so “I’m hopeful this hearing will bring” the issue onto “the front burner and maybe can act as a catalyst for us all to work together and get things done.” Lujan and former Senate Commerce Committee ranking member Roger Wicker, R-Miss., refiled the Funding Affordable Internet with Reliable (Fair) Contributions Act last month to direct an FCC study of expanding the USF funding pool to include edge providers like Google-owned YouTube and Netflix (see 2303160080). Thune and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., refiled the Reforming Broadband Connectivity Act in late March in a bid to revamp USF's funding mechanism (see 2303280071).