Boucher, Terry release USF reform draft bill

Reps. Rick Boucher (D-Va.) and Lee Terry (R-Neb.) today released a discussion draft of a bill to reform the Universal Service Fund. The bill aims to broaden the base of contributions to the fund, control distribution of the money, and allow the use of some of the funds for broadband deployment. 

The pair said the fund is "broken."

"The Universal Service Fund helps provide essential communications services to millions of customers in rural areas, and the drat released today will assist with the deployment of broadband, especially in rural areas, by declaring broadband to be a universal service and requiring universal service fund recipients to offer high speed broadband services within five years of the date of enactment," Boucher. said.

Take a look at the full draft here.