The overhaul of an "outdated" U.S. Federal Communications Commission program that subsidizes telephone service in rural areas will lead to universally available broadband service in the U.S. by the end of the decade, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said.
A proposal to overhaul U.S. subsidies and shift money to broadband deployment needs backing from lawmakers, supporters said in a letter to congressional leaders Thursday.
A U.S. Federal Communications Commission program that subsidizes telephone service in rural areas would transition into broadband subsidies under a plan released Friday by six telecom carriers and three trade groups representing small carriers.
In an effort to balance the U.S. government's books, some Republicans have proposed taking US$1billion from a fund that subsidizes rural telephone and broadband service and using it to reduce the government's budget deficit.