An $8 Billion Subsidy for Internet in Rural Schools, Libraries and Hospitals May Be Upheld By Supreme Court

A conservative advocacy group is trying to shut down the three decade old practice of making U.S. telecommunications companies pay to build out broadband access in remote regions of the country. The Supreme Court heard the group’s arguments and, despite its conservative leanings, seems poised to uphold the rural-focused subsidy. For 30 years the Federal Communications Commission has collected cash from U.S. telecoms as part of the Universal Service Fund. The FCC runs the fund but it was established after Congress passed the Telecommunications Act of 1996. The FCC levies the fees from telecoms and the companies pass those fees on to consumers. A conservative advocacy group called Consumer Research decried the practice, called it unconstitutional, and has argued the case all the way to the highest court in the land. Despite the court being a 6-3 majority, judges on both sides of the political spectrum seemed skeptical of the arguments put forth by Consumer Research’s lawyer. Trent McC ... Read full article.