Federal Universal Service Fund (USF) Charge: FCC-regulated charge supports telecommunications services in schools, public libraries, and rural healthcare facilities. Subsidizes local service to high-cost areas and low-income customers. A monthly per-line surcharge helps keep local telephone rates affordable.
This surcharge is assessed by Frontier on behalf of and under the authority of the Wisconsin Public Service Commission. This is not a Frontier assessed surcharge; it is a pass-through expense remitted to the State of Wisconsin. The Universal Service Fund (USF) provides funding that helps Wisconsin residents get essential and advanced telecommunications services. The USF funds a number of programs and grants to meet these goals including:
The increase is based on your service location and the applicable Regulatory jurisdiction:
Frontier is making this annual adjustment under the authority of the Wisconsin Public Service based on State’s changing funding requirements of the various programs that State collected USF revenues support.
This is a surcharge that voice service providers assess to recover their required contributions to the Texas Universal Service Fund. The TX USF primarily supports a program that assists small telephone companies and co-ops providing service in rural areas. Frontier does not receive any support from this fund. The fund also supports the Specialized Telecommunications Assistance Program (STAP), Relay Texas and lifeline.
The surcharge is assessed on intrastate voice charges — i.e., calling within Texas — and includes voice telephone service charges and intrastate long-distance services charges.
The surcharge has been the subject of litigation in Texas brought by small telephone companies and co-ops who asserted that the Texas Public Utilities Commission had been underpaying them Universal Service Funds. Recently, a court agreed with them and ordered the Texas Public Utilities Commission to repay small telephone companies and co-ops the shortfall. To collect this shortfall, the Commission ordered all voice telecommunications providers to increase payments to the fund from 3.3% to 24%, resulting in a significantly higher consumer surcharge assessment.
