A court decision that the FCC lacked authority to regulate Comcast network management ncould boost arguments for a legislative approach to Universal Service Fund reform, said Hill nand industry officials. The case "puts another arrow in [the] quiver" for those who argue nCongress must give the FCC authority to revamp USF, but it doesn’t necessarily increase the nodds of Hill USF action this year, said President Curt Stamp of the Independent Telephone & nTelecommunications Alliance. If legislators believe the court decision has created a crisis npreventing USF reform, it may have more desire to act, but it’s unclear whether that’s the view, nhe said. The D.C. Circuit ruling’s ultimate impact is still hazy, and industry is watching what nthe FCC says at its April 21 meeting, said a telecom industry official.
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