Some rural carriers want policymakers to address problems with the...

Telecommunications Cooperative Association supports the “idea” of helping low-income households get broadband, but government should tighten control of the fund before expanding it, said NTCA Senior Vice President Mike Romano in an interview Tuesday. Expanding the Lifeline program should not reduce money for the high-cost program to bring broadband to rural areas, Romano said. Taking away high-cost money could cancel out the effects of expanding Lifeline because, without high-cost subsidies, rural carriers might be forced to raise prices, he said. A new addition this year to Matsui’s USF bill prohibiting duplicate Lifeline awards to a single household is a “good starting point,” but the FCC ultimately will determine how it’s enforced, Romano said. The Independent Telephone & Telecommunications Alliance also cautioned government not to forget rural areas as it tries to improve broadband adoption. “ITTA supports efforts to increase current low broadband adoption rates among many Americans living in urban and rural America,” ITTA President Genevieve Morelli said in a statement. “However, in many parts of rural America consumers lack the basic broadband infrastructure required to take advantage of broadband adoption programs.”