King, Collins Call on FCC to Modernize Support for Rural Broadband Services

Press Release

U.S. Senators Angus King and Susan Collins, along with fifty-nine of their colleagues, yesterday sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Tom Wheeler calling for a modernization of rules intended to ensure that Americans in rural areas have access to affordable broadband services.

Under current rules, Universal Service Fund (USF) support for broadband in rural areas is dependent on the outdated requirement that customers also sign up for traditional landline phone service. When rural customers "cut the cord" of traditional phone service in favor of wireless or Internet-based phone services, rural communities served by smaller telecommunication providers lose access to USF support for broadband deployment even if the customer continues to pay for broadband Internet service. The outdated rules create a needless link between customers signing up for services they may not want or need and efforts to accelerate broadband deployment.

"Small rural carriers have worked hard to provide innovative services to some of the most difficult-to-serve parts of our country. However, without the update to the USF support rules described in this letter and in the letter last year, many rural consumers will continue to be denied a choice among these innovative services. As the FCC continues to modernize USF to support broadband deployment, we must ensure rural consumers are not left behind by antiquated rules that inhibit investment, adoption, and consumer choice," Senators King and Collins wrote along with their colleagues. "We therefore renew our call for the FCC to expeditiously make careful, targeted updates to the existing USF mechanisms to provide sufficient and predictable support so that consumers in areas served by smaller rural carriers can make the choice to obtain robust broadband services at affordable rates without being compelled to purchase other services."

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