A spokesman for the Coalition for Equitable & Affordable Rural Se...
A spokesman for the Coalition for Equitable & Affordable Rural Service (CLEAR) said attempts would probably continue to move universal service fund (USF) reform legislation through Congress this year. CLEAR supports S-1380, legislation from Sen. Smith (R-Ore.) that would…
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change funding for the so-called “high cost” fund, which supports larger telecom providers who provide service to rural areas. More than 40 states and territories don’t receive any of the funding, which is about $260 million yearly. There were efforts to introduce the bill Thurs. during the comprehensive committee markup, sources said. But some relevant legislation, including VoIP, passed without the amendment’s being offered by Smith. And other bills that might have taken the amendment, such as the junk fax bill, moved without amendment after Sen. Wyden (D-Ore.) forced a procedural end to the markup over objections to the nominee for FTC chmn. (CD July 23 p1). Industry sources said Sen. Lott (R-Miss.), whose state receives the largest piece of the funding, would agree to the amendment. The CLEAR coalition coordinator told us he expects an effort to move the measure in Sept., once Congress returns.