Created by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in 1997, the Universal Service Fund (USF), administered by the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC), aim to meet Congressional universal service goals mandated by the Telecommunications Act of 1996: that all providers of telecommunications services should contribute to federal universal service in some equitable and nondiscriminatory manner; that there should be specific, predictable, and sufficient Federal and State mechanisms to preserve and advance universal service; that all schools, classrooms, health care providers, and libraries should, generally, have access to advanced telecommunications services; and that the Federal-State Joint Board and the FCC should determine principles that are consistent with the 1996 Act and are necessary to protect the public interest.
In 2011, the FCC approved a transition from the Universal Service Fund High-Cost Program to a new annual $4.5 billion Connect America Fund (CAF) to support broadband Internet, transitioning funding away from traditional copper voice-only service. The FCC has stated that the CAF's goal is to connect 7 million unserved rural Americans to broadband in six years, and puts the nation on a path to connect all 19 million unserved residents by 2020. TIA strongly supports the FCC's landmark reforms to universal service funding mechanisms, and continues to work with TIA members, the FCC, and other stakeholders to help the CAF succeed.
We hope that China will use this break in the negotiations to reexamine its approach to the negotiations to expand the ITA and focus on reducing its overly large list of sensitive products. If China is ready to move forward to conclude the expansion of the ITA this year then the ITA Expansion is achievable this year.
As part of a large U.S. industry delegation representing a broad array of ICT manufacturers, TIA is in Geneva, Switzerland this week to cheer on the trade negotiators who are working hard to conclude the negotiations to expand the product coverage of the WTO’s Information Technology Agreement (ITA). The ITA remains one of the most commercially important WTO trade agreements – by eliminating tariffs on a broad range of ICT products, the ITA lowers the cost and improves access to these products, which are vital to the economic competitiveness of all economies around the world.
The Telecommunications Industry Association was in Geneva last week along with AdvaMed, the Consumer Electronics Association, the Entertainment Software Association, the Information Technology Industry Council, the Liquid Crystal Polymer Coalition, the Motion Picture Association of America, and the Semiconductor Industry Association. This coalition of high-tech companies represents a broad spectrum of manufacturers and service providers in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector.
Last week was a busy one at the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva, Switzerland. The signs are very encouraging that the member countries of the WTO are back on track to move the WTO’s trade liberalization agenda forward – from the new International Services Agreement (ISA) to the ongoing negotiations to expand the existing WTO Information Technology Agreement (ITA).
