- Broadband benefits larger technology benefits, but gives nothing to support the network they depend
- This bill will eventually contribute to tech companies that they use for the creation of billion-dollars empires.
- Legislative shift broadband cost burden from everyday users to enterprise giants
A new wave of broadband reform is receiving traction in the United States, and it is ready to reopen how the Internet is funded, especially for undested rural communities.
This effort is reproduced at the center Reducing broadband costs for consumers 2025 Act By US Congress. It is a bilateral proposal that aims to cure funding imbalance for a long time.
Currently, many technical giants who rely too much on broadband infrastructure do not contribute to its funding. The Act will ensure that they help expand the Universal Service Fund (USF).
Broadband funding a bilateral push
Originally designed to ensure universal access to telephone services, the USF has since developed to support broadband in rural and tribal areas.
However, its funding still comes primarily from Voice Service Subscribers, which now pays far more than two decades ago.
For example, a user can buy a mobile router and pay for broadband access to use social media. The user can pay these platforms directly through subscription or in-app purchases. Nevertheless, despite relying on a completely broadband infrastructure, the platforms themselves contribute nothing to its cost.
This imbalance is currently at the center of a legal challenge pending before the US Supreme Court.
The new proposal aims to transfer the cost burden such as everyday consumers, such as Google, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Netflix, Meta, and Tiktok, whose services run the most broadband traffic, including WiFi Rautter.
This is not a completely new idea. This model uses tech companies to sell cloud services already: payment based on uses and features. Since the contribution will come from enterprise services such as cloud computing, digital advertising and AI infrastructure, there will be no additional cost for consumers.
If applied, the policy will remove the USF fee from the phone bill, offering direct relief to users. It can reduce the overload and pave the way for the best broadband deal over the years.
Through Strandconst