On the recordFebruary 7, 2011
today, along with my colleague Senator Snowe of Maine, I am introducing legislation to exempt universal service contributions and the universal service support programs from what is commonly referred to as the Antideficiency Act. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 demonstrated our long-standing commitment to ensuring the availability of telecommunications to all Americans at reasonable prices. This concept known as universal service has been the responsibility of the Federal Communications Commission, FCC, since its beginnings in 1934. As a result of the 1996 Act, the Universal Service Fund, USF, was established in 1997. This fund is administered by the Universal Service Administrative Company, USAC, whose Board of Directors is appointed by the Chairman of the FCC. USAC administers the High Cost, Low Income, Rural Health Care, and Schools and Libraries, E-rate, universal service programs. USAC makes commitments, through letters, to schools for each school year under FCC rules, and it is obviously important these commitments be made before the beginning of the school year to assist schools in their planning processes and achievement of educational goals.
