Vantage Point Submits Comments on Future of USF Notice of Inquiry

February 21, 2022

“The job of meeting the Universal Service obligation does not have an expiration date.”

In the discussion on the future of USF, Vantage Point is – as always – taking the long view. Last week Larry Thompson, PE, Jeff Smith, Doug Eidahl, JD, and Mikaela Burma, JD submitted comments on the matter of WC Docket No. 21-476, discussing the future of the Universal Service Fund.

As reported by the NECA Washington Watch, Vantage Point’s comments centered on matters of network maintenance and scalability, noting the well-established trend of increasing consumer usage patterns. Vantage Point noted that the Commission has accomplished several goals over the past decade, as we now sit in the middle phase of a three-phase regulatory paradigm, but obstacles remain; and the third FCC phase to extend federal USF support to a sustainability level is an important complement to current funding efforts. Looking to the future, networks supported by USF must be scalable to support evolving customer usage patterns; and while the current infusion of federal grant dollars supports foundational investment in infrastructure, operating expense support is essential to continuing policy obligations. And lastly, common metrics can help support a proper conclusion.

Full comments are available here. Replies are due March 17, 2022.