RURAL CARRIERS GROUP SAYS USF CAP HOLDS BACK MOBILE GROWTH

摘要

The interim cap on the Universal Service Fund has stunted wireless growth in North Carolina, Virginia and other states, said the Rural Cellular Association. In a letter last week to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowksi, the association criticized a June 19 letter by the National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates that said the cap has caused little harm. "NASUCA is more concerned about how much consumers pay into the fund rather than ensuring that rural consumers receive the benefits that the fund was intended to deliver," the rural group said. "We think the latter, especially in the current economy, should be of paramount importance to the Commission and that the interim cap is frustrating Congressional objectives set forth in Section 254 of the Act." In North Carolina, the cap is cutting $23 million in USF subsidies annually, the rural association said. "As a result, wireless carriers serving the state are being forced to cancel or delay plans for new cell site construction."