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Background The Universal Service Fund (USF), administered by the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC), provided communities with billions of dollars in telecommunications funding.  Since 1999, the fund has distributed close to 100 billion dollars.  The importance of USF in providing crucial communications services in high cost and low income areas, as well as rural health care facilities, schools and libra

Background A spectrum auction is a process whereby a government uses an auction system to sell the rights (licenses) to transmit signals over specific bands of the electromagnetic spectrum. Spectrum auctions have been used for decades by governments all across the world, including Canada (through its regulator Industry Canada), to allocate spectrum. These types of auctions also generate billions of dollars. Spectrum

Background Special access lines are dedicated high-capacity connections used by businesses and institutions to transmit their voice and data traffic. Wireless providers use special access lines to funnel voice and data from cell towers to wired telephone and broadband networks. Small businesses, governmental branches, hospitals and medical offices, and even schools and libraries use special access for the first leg o

Background The surging use of smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices is creating a “data crunch” in the spectrum allocated for mobile broadband. This increasing demand for data-hungry devices poses a major challenge to ensuring that the country’s wireless networks have the capacity to handle demand. The Incentive Auction of 600MHz (UHF) bandwidth is the most ambitious spectrum auction ever proposed. Expected

Background Much like transportation roadways and telephone line build-outs before it, broadband has the potential to drive significant economic growth.  Beyond its economic benefits, broadband has a cascading effect on many facets of society.  Improves the quality and lower the cost of health care through health IT and improved data capture and use Enables improvements in public education through e-learning and onlin