The internet is not the same place it was when the USF was created. Indeed, the internet didn’t actually exist when the USF was created. Even so, ever expanding technologies as well as enormous amounts of private investment and lower costs have made it easier than ever to get access to high quality internet. The USF is not our only tool to improve connectivity, and treating it like it does a major disservice to consumers and to the diverse landscape of private sector offering.
NetChoice encourages the working group to explore reforms to the USF that bring it in line with modern market realities. That doesn’t mean justifying new tax increases, it means celebrating the dynamism of the internet ecosystem.