CONSUMER PAIN FROM NUMBERS-BASED USF PLAN WOULD HIT 12 STATES MOST, OPPONENTS SAY

摘要

Consumers in 12 states would be hardest hit by a proposal before the FCC to move to a numbers-based system for contributing to the Universal Service Fund, the Keep USF Fair Coalition said Thurs. The coalition said consumer bills would go up the most in Cal., Fla., Ill., Md., Mass., Mich., Minn., N.Y., O., Pa., Tex. and Va. In all of those states except Tex. and Minn. 揷onsumers already pay more in federal USF taxes than their states get back for schools, hospitals and rural connectivity and that disparity would grow even wider?under the plan supported by FCC Chmn. Kevin Martin, the group said. Tex. and Minn. would move from being USF 搘inners,?taking in more USF funding than paying out, to being USF 搇osers,?the coalition said.