At a Benton Institute event, Connect Humanity CEO Brian Vo urged consideration of Community Reinvestment Act loans alongside Universal Service Fund reforms; the Communications Workers of America called for expanding USF contribution bases.
Brian Vo recommended exploring low-cost bank loans under the Community Reinvestment Act as an additional financing route for universal broadband service.
Speakers at the Benton Institute event agreed the Universal Service Fund needs updating but is not the sole path to achieving universal service.
The Communications Workers of America called for broadening Universal Service Fund contributions to include broadband, enterprise connectivity, and cloud services.
At a Benton Institute for Broadband & Society event on Sept. 25, 2026, Brian Vo, CEO of Connect Humanity, said the push to achieve universal broadband service should look beyond only updating the Universal Service Fund. Vo suggested that providers and policymakers consider low-cost loans available under the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) as an alternative or complementary financing source.
Vo framed CRA loans as a practical financing tool already available through banks under an existing law. He positioned this option as a way to support network investment without relying solely on policy changes to the Universal Service Fund. The underlying point: federal and private financing tools can be combined to expand service coverage.
Speakers agreed the Universal Service Fund needs revisions to better align with today's broadband goals. But they also stressed the Fund is only one lever. Updating USF rules could help, yet complementary financial mechanisms like CRA loans could accelerate deployment or fill gaps where grant or subsidy programs fall short.
CWA's proposal to widen the contribution base
America (CWA) advocated for a parallel change: expanding the set of services that generate USF contributions. The CWA proposed including broadband services, enterprise connectivity, and cloud services in the contribution base. That would change how the Fund is financed and could increase its revenue stream for deployment programs.
Practical implications for providers and policymakers
For network operators: examining CRA loan programs could open new capital sources for projects that are hard to fund through grants or private equity alone. For policymakers: a two-track approach—modernize the USF while encouraging use of existing banking tools—could lower barriers to investment and speed up coverage in underserved areas.
Speakers did not present CRA loans as a wholesale replacement for the USF. The discussion framed them as an additional option to consider alongside policy revisions and other funding sources.
The event recommended a pragmatic mix: update legacy subsidy mechanisms and leverage available bank lending tools to create more financing pathways for universal broadband coverage.
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