Universal service subsidies totaled nearly $5.7 billion in 2004, ...
Universal service subsidies totaled nearly $5.7 billion in 2004, the Federal-State Joint Board said in an annual report issued Thurs. About 61.5% of that went to rural telcos with high costs, 24.8% to schools and libraries, 13.4% for subsidies…
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to low-income consumers and 0.3% to support communications services used by rural health care facilities. Other statistics in the report: (1) Telecom industry revenues were about $228 billion in 2004, down from $231 billion in 2003. (2) Local wireline providers saw $86 billion in revenue, reflecting little change from 2003, while wireless providers’ revenue rose to $96 billion from about $85 billion the year before. Revenue from long distance calling dropped to about $51 billion from $59 billion in 2003. The Joint Board report said interstate toll use declined from 444 billion min. in 2003 to 422 billion min. in 2004. Carriers contribute to the Universal Service Fund (USF) based on a percentage of their interstate long distance revenue -- a method the FCC has proposed changing.