Big Tech gets the network. You get the bill.

The useful part

The number of Americans lacking access to fixed terrestrial broadband with download speeds of 100 Mbps and upload speeds of 20 Mbps fell roughly 23% in one year, while rural gaps shrank more than 44% over two years. Prices for the mid-tier plans most households buy have also fallen in real terms. Make the biggest users and beneficiaries of Universal Service Fund-supported networks help pay, without raising prices for consumers.

How it works

• Yet the FCC still says deployment is not "reasonable and timely" for all Americans, especially in rural areas and tribal lands.
• For many families, broadband is now one of the rare essential services that is both faster and more affordable than it was a few years ago.
• It connects an estimated 130 million Americans each year, supporting low-income and rural households, schools, libraries, students, and health care providers.
• At roughly $8.5 billion annually, USF underwrites a crucial piece of America's digital infrastructure.
• It also supports the infrastructure beneath an internet economy measured in the trillions of dollars.

Details worth keeping

Commission's latest broadband report makes two things clear: That's why the Universal Service Fund remains indispensable.