Publications: Joe Kane

While distribution reform is the best way to shrink the contribution factor, Congress should also reform USF funding to come from general appropriations, or some other method of encompassing the entire U.S. tax base.

Congress should reform and refocus the Universal Service Fund. It spends too much money, prioritizes the wrong problems, and funds it all with a high, sector-specific tax rate. Congress should reduce the overall size of the program and fund it with general revenue.

States are starting to reveal how they’ll spend their $42 billion in BEAD broadband funds—and the early results show both promise and pitfalls. Some states are driving down costs and saving billions for adoption and affordability, while others risk burning through their budgets on expensive deployments. The stakes are high: BEAD will only succeed if it closes the digital divide on both access and affordability.

The Commission should ground its analysis in consumer experience rather than arbitrary thresholds, and recognize that it is time to recalibrate its priorities to address adoption and affordability barriers that remain the primary drivers of the digital divide.

Space safety is an important and shared interest of governments, private industry, and consumers around the world. But a regulatory framework for it should be evidence-based and even-handed. If the EUSA proceeds, we can expect the same proliferation of copycat space regulations through the Brussels effect.

Critics have claimed low-Earth orbit satellites will not be able to meet the BEAD program’s broadband capacity requirements, that LEO networks lack scalability, that they’re more expensive to consumers, and that BEAD itself ought to be biased against LEOs. None of these claims are true.

Multiple broadband technologies are delivering high-speed Internet service to consumers, creating even more robust competition. Yet, regulations are misaligned with market realities and should be updated to help maximize the consumer benefits of this increasing competition.

Congress risks undermining U.S. leadership in wireless innovation by cutting off critical Open RAN funding just as it gains momentum against China’s dominance.

By leveraging market mechanisms, engaging critical stakeholders, and ensuring robust technical standards, the Commission can facilitate an efficient and effective allocation of the Upper C-band.