Rural Universal Service Equity Act of 2003

Bill: 108-s-1380
Sponsor: Sen. Smith, Gordon H. [R-OR]
Introduced: 2003-07-09 in the Senate
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications
Subjects: Congress
Congressional investigations
Housing and Community Development
Telephone
Telephone rates

Summary:
action_date: 2003-07-09
text: 
Rural Universal Service Equity Act of 2003 - Requires the Comptroller General to report to Congress on the need to reform the high cost support mechanism (with respect to universal telephone service) for rural, insular, and high cost areas.
 
Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), in calculating Federal universal service support for eligible telecommunications carriers that serve such areas, to revise its support mechanism for high cost areas to provide support to each wire center in which the incumbent local exchange carrier's average cost per line exceeds the national average by such amount as the FCC determines appropriate for the purpose of ensuring the equitable distribution of universal service support throughout the United States. Requires: (1) the FCC to ensure that no State receives less Federal support than it would have received, up to ten percent of the total support distributed, under the FCC's previous support mechanism; and (2) the total amount of support for all States to be equal to the total support calculated under the support mechanism in existence before enactment of this Act.
 
States that nothing in this Act shall affect the support provided to rural telephone companies.

action_date: 2004-11-19
text: 

(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

 
Rural Universal Service Equity Act of 2003 - Requires the Comptroller General to report to Congress on the need to reform the high cost support mechanism (with respect to universal telephone service) for rural, insular, and high cost areas.
 
Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), in calculating Federal universal service support for eligible telecommunications carriers that serve such areas, to revise its support mechanism for high cost areas to provide support to each wire center in which the incumbent local exchange carrier's average cost per line exceeds the national average by such amount as the FCC determines appropriate for the purpose of ensuring the equitable distribution of universal service support throughout the United States. Requires: (1) the FCC to ensure that no State receives less Federal support than it would have received, up to ten percent of the total support distributed, under the FCC's previous support mechanism; and (2) the total amount of support for all States to be equal to the total support calculated under the support mechanism in existence before enactment of this Act.
 
States that nothing in this Act shall affect the support provided to rural telephone companies.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2004-12-07
text: By Senator McCain from Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation filed written report. Report No. 108-422.
action_date: 2004-12-07
text: By Senator McCain from Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation filed written report. Report No. 108-422.
action_date: 2004-11-19
text: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 809.
action_date: 2004-11-19
text: Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator McCain without amendment. Without written report.
action_date: 2004-11-19
text: Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator McCain without amendment. Without written report.
action_date: 2004-09-22
text: Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
action_date: 2003-07-09
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. (text of measure as introduced: CR S9122)
action_date: 2003-07-09
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S9121-9122)
action_date: 2003-07-09
text: Introduced in Senate