A bill, the Universal Broadband Act (H.R. 6723), was introduced in the House of Representatives, co-sponsored by Rep Collin Peterson (D-MN) and Rep. Don Young (R-AR), proposing to include broadband services in the contribution base for the Universal Service Fund (USF). This is an expansion of the contribution base that currently relies on interstate and international telecommunications services, which has been shrinking over the past few years. According to the representatives, by using broadband services as the contribution base, the USF will experience a much more stable and sufficient revenue stream. The bill has been referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce for a markup and vote.
