It's an effort to convince us that we can shine up a muddy car by adding new windshield wiper fluid. We need the whole car wash. The issue is not solely one for rural, high-cost areas but Universal Service as a principle. Finally, the e-rate also doesn't address the fact that the Internet is fundamentally different from utilities covered by the old universal service model. The studies now coming out about the need for teacher training underscore this issue.
Universal service needs to be broadly defined.