Consumers' Research Hopeful of Win in SCOTUS USF Case
Consumers' Research Executive Director Will Hild expressed confidence after the U.S. Supreme Court heard the group’s challenge of the USF contribution factor in lengthy oral arguments Wednesday (see 2503260061).
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“After listening to the oral arguments, I think we have a good chance of winning this case,” Hild said in an email Friday. “Justice Neil Gorsuch, a known advocate for reining in agency overreach, questioned the program’s limitless scope -- hypothetically, could the FCC fund Starlink for every American at a fraction of the price?” The group’s lawyer, Trent McCotter, “framed the USF surcharge as a tax -- a legislative power Congress can’t just hand off without guardrails,” Hild said. McCotter “highlighted the lack of substantive limits, a point that seemed to resonate with the bench.”