Rural telecom carriers are pleased with HR-5252’s proposed ‘broad...
Rural telecom carriers are pleased with HR-5252’s proposed “broadband for unserved areas program,” which would allocate up to $500 million for broadband deployment. The bill passed the Senate Commerce Committee 15-7 last month (WID June 29 p1) and is…
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headed for the floor. The Universal Service Administrative Company will run the broadband program subject to FCC oversight. OPASTCO said the broadband program will help rural telecom carriers achieve full coverage throughout their service areas. Right now, some parts of the country are so remote and “prohibitively expensive to serve” that without Universal Service Fund support it would be impossible, Rose told a Senate hearing June 13. “Targeted support” for rural carriers that haven’t been able to achieve coverage so far would help bring the U.S. closer to the goal of full deployment, Rose said. The bill also includes “competitive neutrality” language, which means USF rules can’t be used to unfairly advantage one provider over another. This section of the bill has been highlighted many times in recent days by net neutrality advocates, who think it’s hypocritical to have such language for voice services but not video or data.