[20210505]IN11661_美国农村5G基金.pdf

CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress INSIGHTINSIGHTi i 5G Fund for Rural America May 5, 2021 In October 2020, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted rules creating the 5G Fund for Rural America (5G Fund). The 5G Fund is to provide up to $8 billion from the Universal Service Fund (USF) over the next ten years to bring voice and broadband services to areas unlikely to see unsubsidized deployment of 5G networks, and $1 billion for networks that can support precision agriculture. Universal service is the concept that all Americans should have access to telecommunications services, and the cornerstone of the Communications Act of 1934, which established the FCC. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 granted the FCC authority to establish the USF and to designate the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC), an independent not-for-profit corporation, as the USF administrator. Telecommunications providers are required to contribute a percentage of their revenue to the USF, which some pass to consumers as a fee attached to their phone bill. The USAC collects and manages provider contributions. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 expanded universal ser