[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1171 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1171

To amend the Communications Act of 1934 in order to require the Federal 
 Communications Commission to fulfill the sufficient universal service 
   support requirements for high cost areas, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 22, 2001

 Mr. Deal of Georgia introduced the following bill; which was referred 
                to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Communications Act of 1934 in order to require the Federal 
 Communications Commission to fulfill the sufficient universal service 
   support requirements for high cost areas, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Universal Service Support Act''.

SEC. 2 REMOVAL OF IMPEDIMENTS TO SUFFICIENT SUPPORT MECHANISMS.

    Section 254 of the Communications Act of 1934 is amended by adding 
at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(m) Removal of Impediments to Sufficient Support Mechanisms.--
            ``(1) Removal of caps on high cost support mechanisms.--The 
        caps and limitations on universal service support contained in 
        sections 36.601(c), 36.621(4), and 54.305 of the Commission's 
        regulations (47 CFR 36.601, 36.621(4), and 54.305) shall cease 
        to be effective on the date of enactment of the Universal 
        Service Support Act. The Commission shall not, on or after such 
        date of enactment, enforce or reimpose caps or limitations on 
        support mechanisms for rural telephone companies, or for any 
        exchanges acquired by a rural telephone company, based on fund 
        size or other considerations unrelated to the sufficiency of 
        support to achieve the purposes of this section.
            ``(2) High cost support and nationwide average 
        calculations.--The Commission shall--
                    ``(A) calculate that portion of the high cost 
                support mechanism attributable to loops that have costs 
                that are in excess of 115 percent of the nationwide 
                average under section 36.631 of the Commission's 
                regulations (47 CFR 36.631) as in effect on the date of 
                enactment of the Universal Service Support Act, and
                    ``(B) calculate the nationwide average unseparated 
                loop cost for purposes of sections 36.621(a)(1)-(3) and 
                36.622 of those regulations (47 CFR 36.621(a)(1)-(3) 
                and 36.622) as in effect on such date of enactment of 
                such Act,
        taking into account the elimination of caps and limitations of 
        support pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection.''.
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