The Supreme Court Doesn’t Seem Eager to Axe This $9 Billion Broadband Subsidy

Digital divide advocates can breathe a tentative sigh of relief, as the Supreme Court appeared reluctant to dismantle the Universal Service Fund (USF), a program that spends close to $9 billion a year to help low-income and rural Americans access phone and internet service, as well as schools, libraries and hospitals. The conservative non-profit Consumers’ Research first brought its case against the Federal Communications Commission all the way back in 2022, but it feels particularly of the moment. At the same time as the Trump administration is pushing for drastic changes to a $42 billion investment in rural broadband infrastructure, the Court’s decision in the USF case has the potential to upend broadband subsidies that have been around for 30 years. If I were the government, I would feel pretty good right now. Adam Crews, law professor at Rutgers The three liberal Supreme Court justices, plus Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh, didn’t seem swayed by the argument that the progr ... Read full article.