Industry coalition seeks to exempt universal service funding from ADA.(News)

RCR Wireless News, May, 2005

A large coalition of government, public interest and telecom industry groups sent a letter to Capitol Hill urging the Senate Commerce Committee to pass a bill that would permanently exempt the universal-service fund from the Anti-Deficiency Act. More than 30 organizations, including Alcatel, Western Wireless Corp. and the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, signed the letter.

The Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing on a bill that would permanently exempt the E-rate program from the ADA. Payments to the much-derided E-rate program were suspended last year when the program could not follow generally accepted accounting principles. Congress intervened temporarily so payments could continue.

Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska),...

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