Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) released a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) today that openly acknowledges major flaws in the way the Trump Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has handled the Universal Service Fund’s High-Cost Program. Pallone, who requested the report, released the following statement in response:
“I requested this report because I had profound concerns about the Trump FCC’s handling of the Universal Service Fund, and today’s report validates those fears. GAO has found that the high-cost program has been woefully maintained, with basic governance structures either wholly missing or outdated, effectively being left to rot under Chairman Pai’s leadership.
“This news comes as the FCC pushes out $16 billion in high-cost broadband funding without adequate or accurate broadband maps to guide them - and is doing so over the express objections of Democratic FCC Commissioners. It is likely that, as a result, funding will be poorly targeted and wasted, when it could and should be going toward communities in desperate need of connectivity. Today’s report confirms that Chairman Pai’s FCC has failed to be a proper steward of the Universal Service Fund, and future Commissions will be at a serious disadvantage in closing the digital divide as a result."