Pushing for a Universal Service Fund contribution revamp, AT&T an...
Pushing for a Universal Service Fund contribution revamp, AT&T and Verizon met Monday with Amy Bender, an aide to FCC Chairman Kevin Martin. AT&T and Verizon contend that carriers should contribute to USF based on their phone number count,…
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instead of interstate revenue (CD Sept 15 p2). The National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates urged the FCC to reject numbers-based contribution. In a letter to Martin and other commissioners, NASUCA said moving to numbers is “unnecessary, will create new opportunities for arbitrage, and will not benefit consumers.” The interstate revenue base for USF “has been remarkably stable for the past six years,” it said. And a numbers system would require exemptions so some carriers don’t overpay, the association said. The exemptions would open new opportunities for fraud, it said. And because a numbers system would treat interstate and intrastate traffic the same, a customer who doesn’t call long distance often would have to pay higher USF fees, the association said.