NAACP Supports the Sustainability of the Universal Service Fund

WHEREAS, The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) recognizes the importance of the Universal Service Fund ("USF"), a federal program managed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that spends approximately $8 billion annually on telecommunications subsidies, in furtherance of the goal of universal telecommunications service, thus expanding civil, educational, and economic opportunities for all Americans, particularly those in low-income, underserved, and unserved communities; and

WHEREAS, The USF funds four vital government programs: High Cost (now known as the Connect America Fund), which provides funds to build broadband in rural areas; E-Rate, which funds communications services at schools and libraries; Rural Health Care, which provides funds to health care providers in rural communities; and Lifeline, which provides subsidies to lowincome households for telephone and broadband internet services; and

WHEREAS, On July 24, 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit held in Consumers' Research v. FCC that the funding mechanism for the USF is unconstitutional, threatening $8 billion annually in telecommunications subsidies aimed at bridging the digital divide; and

WHEREAS, The loss of USF's funding mechanism would impede Congress and the FCC in their efforts to deliver universal service — accessible and affordable telephone and internet service — for all Americans and would harm low-income Americans, who benefit directly from programs such as Lifeline, including a disproportionate number of African American households, who have lower rates of broadband access.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the NAACP calls upon Congress and the FCC to pass legislation to reform the administration and funding mechanism of the USF to provide a constitutionally protected and sustainable long-term financing mechanism.