Universal Service Fund. The fund that provides discounts to telecommunications carriers for delivering affordable telecommunications services to high-cost customers, libraries, low-income consumers, rural health care providers, and schools, both public and private. It is generated through collections by all telecommunications carriers (both local and long distance) and its size is determined by the FCC.
Universal Service Fund. A federal program that pays support to those local exchange carriers whose cost of providing basic telephone service are higher than the national average so that they may charge their subscribers reasonable local service rates. The Universal Service Fund accomplishes this by allowing high cost local exchange carriers to recover additional revenue from the interstate jurisdiction, which reduces the amount of their costs allocated to intrastate jurisdiction, and thus keeps their local rates lower than they otherwise would be. The Universal Service Fund is funded by contribution from interexchange carriers who pay a flat monthly per-line fee based on their number of presubscribed lines. The National Exchange Carrier Association bills the interexchange carriers for the charges and distributes the funds to qualifying local exchange carriers on a monthly basis.
Universal Service Fund. A federal fund that helps provide affordable phone service to certain rural and low-income customers, along with discounts on telephone services and Internet access for eligible schools, libraries and rural health care providers. These funds can also be created at the state level.
Universal Service Fund. The Federal Universal Fund (FUSF) supports telecommunications and information services in schools, public libraries, and rural health-care facilities. The fund also subsidizes local service to high-cost areas and low-income customers. The FCC requests this charge.
Universal Service Fund Charge or Universal Service Charge, Carrier Universal Service Charge, Federal Universal Service Fund Surcharge
University of South Florida [Located in Tampa.
Universal Service Fund. also called "Universal Connectivity Fee" - the USF helps to make phone service affordable and available to all Americans. Congress mandated that all telephone companies providing interstate service must contribute to the USF. It is a carrier's choice to pass the USF contribution costs on to its customers.
Universal Service Fund. The National Exchange Carrier Association administers the USF. This is a mechanism designed to keep local exchange rates at reasonable levels, especially in high-cost, rural areas. The fund gets money from a surcharge on phone lines and uses those funds to offset telecommunication expenses in the high-cost areas.
Universal Service Fund. To promote and protect affordable telephone service to low-income persons, to persons with disabilities, to customers in high-cost areas, and to schools, libraries and health care providers, both state and federal laws have established a USF to keep rates low and provide specific support to telephone companies or specific users. Providers are assessed by these USFs to fund these programs.