A federal program adopted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that helps provide affordable telecommunications services for low-income customers and customers in rural areas. It also provides discounts on Internet access for eligible schools, libraries and rural health care providers. Telecommunications carriers are required to pay into this federal program.
see Federal Universal Service Fund.
The fund that provides discounts to telecommunications carriers for delivering affordable telecommunications services to high-cost customers, libraries, low-income consumers, rural health care providers, and schools, both public and private. It is generated through collections by all telecommunications carriers (both local and long distance) and its size is determined by the FCC.
(USF), also called “Universal Connectivity Fee”: the USF helps to make phone service affordable and available to all Americans. Congress mandated that all telephone companies providing interstate service must contribute to the USF. It is a carrier's choice to pass the USF contribution costs on to its customers.
A federal program that pays support to those local exchange carriers whose cost of providing basic telephone service are higher than the national average so that they may charge their subscribers reasonable local service rates. The Universal Service Fund accomplishes this by allowing high cost local exchange carriers to recover additional revenue from the interstate jurisdiction, which reduces the amount of their costs allocated to intrastate jurisdiction, and thus keeps their local rates lower than they otherwise would be. The Universal Service Fund is funded by contribution from interexchange carriers who pay a flat monthly per-line fee based on their number of presubscribed lines. The National Exchange Carrier Association bills the interexchange carriers for the charges and distributes the funds to qualifying local exchange carriers on a monthly basis.
A federal fund that helps provide affordable phone service to certain rural and low-income customers, along with discounts on telephone services and Internet access for eligible schools, libraries and rural health care providers. These funds can also be created at the state level.
The Universal Service Fund (USF) is designed to help provide affordable quality communication for everyone, including low income consumers and customers in rural areas, as well as Internet access for schools, libraries, and rural healthcare providers.
The Federal Universal Fund (FUSF) supports telecommunications and information services in schools, public libraries, and rural health-care facilities. The fund also subsidizes local service to high-cost areas and low-income customers. The FCC requests this charge.
(USF) - A discount program from the federal government that provides discount telecom and internet services to schools and libraries. See E-rate.
a fund into which contributions from operators and/or other sources are paid for the purpose of providing basic and advanced telecommunications services to underserved areas, communities or individuals who cannot afford such services on their own, in the pursuit of universal service/access.
To promote and protect affordable telephone service to low-income persons, to persons with disabilities, to customers in high-cost areas, and to schools, libraries and health care providers, both state and federal laws have established a USF to keep rates low and provide specific support to telephone companies or specific users. Providers are assessed by these USFs to fund these programs.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Congress recognize that telephone service provides a vital link to emergency services, government services, and surrounding communities. To help promote telecommunications service nationwide, the FCC, as directed by Congress developed the Federal Universal Service Fund
A cost-allocation mechanism designed to keep local exchange rates reasonable, especially in "high-rate" (read "low-profit") areas like rural America.
