Federal Appeals Court Rules FCC’s Universal Service Fund Is Illegal Tax

USF is a program funded by fees and surcharges that uses billions of dollars to subsidize internet access.
Federal Appeals Court Rules FCC’s Universal Service Fund Is Illegal Tax
The seal of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in Washington on Dec. 14, 2017. Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo
Tom Ozimek
Tom Ozimek
Reporter
|Updated:
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A federal appeals court has ruled in favor of a conservative nonprofit in a case that challenged the legitimacy of the way the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) administers the Universal Service Fund (USF).

The court held that because the FCC relied on for-profit telecommunications companies to determine the USF surcharge, it functions as a tax that voters did not approve and so is unconstitutional.

Tom Ozimek
Tom Ozimek
Reporter
Tom Ozimek is a senior reporter for The Epoch Times. He has a broad background in journalism, deposit insurance, marketing and communications, and adult education.
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