The proposed hike in the interstate telephone contribution that consumers might soon be paying into the Universal Service Fund was recently criticized by the National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates. The increase would bring the USF contribution to 12.9% of a users bill, compared with the current 11.4%. Every telephone user in the country pays into the USF already. The monies are used to maintain and subsidize rural telephone service to places where it would otherwise be prohibitively expensive.
The USF is controlled by the Universal Service Administrative Company, and overseen by a joint board consisting of FCC and state-level commissioners.
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