What is the Federal universal service fee on my bill?
This is a fund established by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to help promote telecommunications service nationwide as directed by the U.S. Congress. The fund contains programs to support low-income consumers, providers operating in high-cost areas, schools and libraries needing telecommunications services, and rural health care centers needing access to advanced medical services via telecommunications. Telecommunication service providers contribute directly to the fund. Their contribution rate is determined quarterly by the FCC and is applied to their prior period revenues. The FCC does not specify how or if a provider should collect a universal service charge from its customer. The FCC initiated a proceeding in 2002 to consider new rules for determining the provider’s contribution and how the provider passes the charge to customers.
