For Immediate Release
Contact: Hillary Crowder Smith, [email protected], 703-351-2086
Arlington, Va. (March 30, 2016)—NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association issued the following statement today from Chief Executive Officer Shirley Bloomfield regarding the release of an order reforming the federal Universal Service Fund (USF) distribution mechanisms upon which smaller carriers rely to deploy and operate broadband-capable networks and deliver reliable and affordable telecommunications services in rural areas:
“NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association’s membership includes nearly 900 companies that operate advanced networks and provide essential telecommunications services in the most rural portions of the United States. These companies are the embodiment of universal service, mostly headquartered in and fully committed to the communities they serve—areas that were long ago left behind by larger providers and that continue to present real challenges today in the construction and ongoing operation of communications networks.
“The federal Universal Service Fund is critical to these small businesses and the communities they serve, both to enable the initial deployment of networks and to ensure the sustainability, reliability, and affordability of services provided atop those networks. Today’s order represents a watershed moment in reforming the USF programs upon which these carriers rely. We are in the process of reviewing the order now, but we are hopeful that it contains thoughtful, targeted updates that respond to consumer demand for broadband and build upon the already unparalleled work of smaller carriers in leading the broadband charge to date in rural America.
“We also recognize that the order contains certain measures that change the ways in which these successful USF mechanisms have worked before. As Chairman Wheeler said himself in a recent blog, none of us got all that we wanted or hoped for in this reform. It will take time, analysis, and experience to understand whether certain measures actually further or hinder the mission of universal service, but we very much appreciate the FCC’s willingness to discuss the development and implementation of such measures. We also hope that, at the very least, action on these measures will help to restore some degree of regulatory certainty by resolving issues that had been the subject of potential reform for years or even decades.
“In the end, the success or failure of this reform should not and cannot be measured merely by whether networks are built in rural areas. Rather, under the law, success can and must be defined only by whether consumers and businesses in the most rural parts of America have sustainable access to services that are reasonably comparable in price and quality to those available in urban areas. That is the only yardstick that ultimately matters.
“We will be monitoring closely to see if this yardstick is met, and if it turns out that some aspects of the reforms do not succeed—if recovery of past investment is undermined, if the prospects of future investment become more challenging, or if consumers still cannot obtain reasonably comparable voice or broadband services at reasonably comparable prices—we will be right back at it working to have the FCC correct and address those aspects of reform for small rural carriers and the consumers they serve.”
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NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association is the premier association representing nearly 900 independent, community-based telecommunications companies that are leading innovation in rural and small-town America. NTCA advocates on behalf of its members in the legislative and regulatory arenas, and it provides training and development; publications and industry events; and an array of employee benefit programs. In an era of exploding technology, deregulation and marketplace competition, NTCA’s members are leading the IP evolution for rural consumers, delivering technologies that make rural communities vibrant places in which to live and do business. Because of their efforts, rural America is fertile ground for innovation in economic development and commerce, education, health care, government services, security and smart energy use. Visit us at www.ntca.org.