The VON Coalition urged the Commission not to go through with an ...
The VON Coalition urged the Commission not to go through with an interim plan to require VoIP providers to pay into the Universal Service Fund (USF) based on a percentage of their revenue (CD May 31 p1). The coalition…
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said in a filing Wed. it was concerned the action, which is on the agenda for the June 21 open meeting, could delay broader reform of the USF contributions system. It said it supported FCC Chmn. Martin’s proposal to eventually move away from revenue as a basis for contributions and feared this interim plan, because it’s based on revenue, would stymie that move. The FCC in essence would be setting up an interim contributions process for VoIP providers and then turning around and setting up a 2nd one once full reform was accomplished, the coalition said. That would mean requiring 2 “fundamental shifts” in tracking and billing practices, the group said. The coalition also questioned whether adding VoIP providers to the pool would make up for contributions lost when DSL providers stop paying into the fund, which reportedly is one of the purposes of the interim plan. “The VON Coalition recommends that, instead of potentially putting the sustainability of the [USF] in jeopardy… the Commission should move promptly to adopt comprehensive reform measures.”