Universal service, the idea that all Americans should have access to communications services, has been a core principle of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) since its founding. This principle originated with the telephone in the early 20th century, but today’s consumers are abandoning plain old telephone service in droves. The great infrastructure challenge of the 21st century is universal broadband Internet service.
This challenge remains unmet in rural America. It’s been more than five years since the FCC issued a National Broadband Plan to ensure every American has access to broadband capability. Though broadband deployment has progressed rapidly in urban areas, it is not becoming available quickly enough in rural areas, where more than half of the population still lacks access to broadband infrastructure. It is becoming increasingly clear that the FCC’s universal service policies haven’t kept pace with the broadband revolution.
Yesterday, Commissioner Ajit Pai described how the FCC could help bridge the yawning digital divide between urban and rural America without increasing the existing budget for universal service funding. Read More