WASHINGTON, D.C. – The United States Congress today approved an important provision sponsored by Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee Vice Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) to exempt the Universal Service Fund (USF) from the Antideficiancy Act (ADA) for another year. The provision was included as part of an omnibus appropriations bill (H.R. 2764) and would provide relief from an accounting rule that would otherwise delay important broadband funds from being delivered to schools and libraries in a timely fashion.  This fix was first put in place after application of the ADA resulted in millions of dollars in delayed funding, which threatened technology programs at countless schools across the nation.

 

 

Earlier this year, Senator Stevens introduced the Universal Service for Americans Act (USA Act - S. 101) to update the nation’s universal service laws. The USA Act contains a permanent exemption for the E-Rate and rural health care programs from the ADA. It also contains measures to strengthen the integrity and accountability of the E-Rate program. The measure will ensure that all communications technologies are incorporated into the nation’s universal service program and that rural America is not left behind in the communications revolution.