CTIA weighed in for the first time on Local Switching Support. The association called for comprehensive changes in the Universal Service Fund and opposed what it called a “backward-looking petition” by the Coalition for Equity in Switching Support. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski circulated a draft notice of proposed rulemaking that tentatively concluded incumbent local exchange carriers should get additional universal service support under the LSS mechanism if they lose a significant number of access line customers (CD Oct 13 p8). But the commission asked for more data before it makes a final decision.

Libraries face a “broadband crisis” because of increased demand from their patrons and the growing number of bandwidth-intensive applications, combined with limited resources to meet growing needs, the American Library Association said in a filing at the FCC, on National Broadband Plan Public notice No. 15, on broadband access in education. ALA urged the FCC to increase the current $2.25 billion cap on the E-rate program, which it said is a necessary step if libraries are to continue to provide broadband access to the communities they serve.

Libraries face a “broadband crisis” because of increased demand from their patrons and the growing number of bandwidth-intensive applications, combined with limited resources to meet growing needs, the American Library Association said in a filing at the FCC, on National Broadband Plan Public notice No. 15, on broadband access in education. ALA urged the FCC to increase the current $2.25 billion cap on the E-rate program, which it said is a necessary step if libraries are to continue to provide broadband access to the communities they serve.

Libraries face a “broadband crisis” because of increased demand from their patrons and the growing number of bandwidth-intensive applications, combined with limited resources to meet growing needs, the American Library Association said in a filing at the FCC, on National Broadband Plan Public notice No. 15, on broadband access in education. ALA urged the FCC to increase the current $2.25 billion cap on the E-rate program, which it said is a necessary step if libraries are to continue to provide broadband access to the communities they serve.

Libraries face a “broadband crisis” because of increased demand from their patrons and the growing number of bandwidth-intensive applications, combined with limited resources to meet growing needs, the American Library Association said in a filing at the FCC, on National Broadband Plan Public notice No. 15, on broadband access in education. ALA urged the FCC to increase the current $2.25 billion cap on the E-rate program, which it said is a necessary step if libraries are to continue to provide broadband access to the communities they serve.

Draft universal service reform legislation announced Friday would cover broadband, expand the contribution base and cap high-cost support, said House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Rick Boucher D-Va., and Rep. Lee Terry, R-Neb. This is the third round of legislation the two lawmakers have worked on, and comes after months of negotiations among industry and regional regulators. “The Universal Service Fund is broken,” said Boucher and Terry. Consumers will pay more than 14 percent of long-distance revenue into the fund next year, up from 12 percent in 2009, they said. A hearing on the draft is planned for Nov. 17.

CHICAGO -- The need for a long-term and “holistic” commitment to spurring broadband is the most important lesson to be learned from international broadband comparisons, FCC broadband plan coordinator Blair Levin said at Supercomm Wednesday afternoon. “If this is just kind of a one-shot deal, five years from now it will just be like an infinite number of other things” that people talked a lot about but never accomplished, he said.

CHICAGO - Network neutrality rules could slow or “halt” progress toward a fully connected world, Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg said in a keynote speech Wednesday at Supercomm. “While this future is imminent, it is not inevitable, and the decisions we make today - as an industry and as a country - will determine whether the benefits of these transformational networks will be felt sooner or much, much later.”

CHICAGO - Network neutrality rules could slow or “halt” progress toward a fully connected world, Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg said in a keynote speech Wednesday at Supercomm. “While this future is imminent, it is not inevitable, and the decisions we make today - as an industry and as a country - will determine whether the benefits of these transformational networks will be felt sooner or much, much later.”

The interim cap on the Universal Service Fund has stunted wireless growth in North Carolina, Virginia and other states, said the Rural Cellular Association. In a letter last week to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowksi, RCA criticized a June 19 letter by the National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates that said the cap has caused little harm. “NASUCA is more concerned about how much consumers pay into the fund rather than ensuring that rural consumers receive the benefits that the fund was intended to deliver,” the rural group said. “We think the latter, especially in the current economy, should be of paramount importance to the Commission and that the interim cap is frustrating Congressional objectives set forth in Section 254 of the Act.” In North Carolina, for example, the cap is cutting $23 million in USF subsidies annually, the rural association said. “As a result, wireless carriers serving the state are being forced to cancel or delay plans for new cell site construction.” The association played down the cost to consumers of removing the cap, saying the increase to USF fees on phone bills would be “pennies to low volume users … and negligible to high volume users.” The FCC has no authority to say what contribution factor is too high, it said. “Congress has never stated what level of contribution factor is unacceptable, and it is the province of Congress, not the FCC, to make such a determination.”