FCC Forges Ahead With Broadband Buildout Plans

[ECTNews]

 The FCC has voted unanimously to reform the Universal Service Fund and intercarrier compensation system. It is creating a new Connect America Fund, with a budget of US$4.5 billion to meet the end-goal of this policy shift: extending broadband infrastructure to rural Americans, as opposed to subsidizing rural phone service. That in itself could be seen as controversial: Certainly there are people in these areas -- to say nothing of their representatives in Congress -- who do not wish to see these subsidies end and have no interest in broadband-based services.

e-Commerce Times