Trump Republicans Are Destroying Decades Of Policy Progress On Affordable Broadbandfrom the and-by-"efficiencies"-we-mean-"destruction" deptQuick background: the $8 billion FCC Universal Service Fund (USF) applies a small surcharge on traditional phone lines to fund broadband expansion to unserved rural homes, schools, and libraries (of which the U.S. has a lot thanks to rampant telecom monopolization). The USF is technically overseen by the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC), which has been tasked since 1998 with overseeing more than $9 billion in broadband subsidies annually. Our end goal is to ensure Americans receive the best bang for their buck on universal service spending—a commonsense win for government efficiency and accountability.” Certain Trump Republicans had been pushing for the USF to be destroyed entirely, though that gambit was surprisingly scuttled by the Supreme Court last year. Filed Under: brendan carr, broadband, fcc, telecom, usf