Leadership Conference Media/Telecommunications Task Force Universal Service Fund Working Group Letter

Center for Civil Rights and Technology Resources 09.15.25

September 15, 2025

The Honorable Deb Fischer
Chair
U.S. Senate Telecommunications and Media Subcommittee
Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Ben Ray Luján
Ranking Member
U.S. Senate Telecommunications and Media Subcommittee
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Chair Fisher and Ranking Member Luján,

On behalf of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and the undersigned civil rights groups, we write to share our input with the bicameral Universal Service Fund (USF) Working Group. For over 25 years, USF has played a vital role in closing the digital divide by expanding broadband access to all of your constituents, including low-income, rural, and Tribal communities, communities of color, schools and libraries, and rural health care providers. To lose this program would decimate the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) ability to expand broadband access, hurting not just the affected communities, but our nation’s economy, educational system, and national competitiveness in a rapidly developing technological ecosystem. Right now, if people lack reliable access to the internet, they cannot participate in all the benefits of modern day life, especially in the midst of a growing need for AI literacy. The Leadership Conference and coalition partners are long-time supporters of the USF and the programs it sustains.

A full copy of the letter is available here.