The FCC “must tackle long overdue” USF contribution...
The FCC “must tackle long overdue” USF contribution reform before thinking about expanding the E-rate budget to meet the goal of spending $1 billion annually for E-rate Wi-Fi connections in schools and libraries, ITTA said in comments filed Monday in…
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docket 13-184. “Universal service contribution rates have jumped 60 percent under the current Administration,” it said, and the commission “can no longer ignore the pressure its decisions put on the” USF. Doing so would jeopardize other agency goals, including broadband development, and would increase costs “that are ultimately borne by consumers,” ITTA said. The FCC’s $2.30-per-square-foot E-rate funding formula for libraries “would result in the inequitable distribution” of funds, said a study commissioned by the Urban Libraries Council submitted in the same docket. The study found that unlike for rural, town and most suburban libraries, square footage is not an accurate indicator of library users or Wi-Fi costs, ULC said (http://bit.ly/1qZ6GM4).