In line with yesterday’s deadline for comments on the FCC’s notice of proposed rulemaking regarding reforms to the Universal Service Fund, CTIA has said that the need for reform within the fund is “urgent,” yet calls for the commission to look at the success of subsidies in aiding carriers to deploy networks to rural areas.

The FCC has been discussing possible solutions to ease the growing demands on the dwindling USF, while still aiding telecoms that provide needed communication services to underserved areas. On Jan. 29, the commission issued three proposed rulemaking reforms for the fund: the Joint Board’s high-cost reform recommendation, identical support rule and reverse auctions proposal.

The Federal-State Joint Board recommended capping the amount of subsidies any one telecom receives from the USF until more substantial reforms are decided. While CTIA says it recognizes that “excessive subsidy levels can be as detrimental…as too little support,” the association recommends instead of subsidy caps that the commission should  “adopt specific goals for the program and performance metrics to measure its achievement of those goals.” Specifically the association recommends reforms that reward efficiency.

As for doing away with the “identical support rule” or the clause within the fund which provides wireless carriers with the same per-line support that wireline telecoms receive, CTIA urges the commission to not create “artificial ceilings” that mean wireless carriers always receive less than or equal to the per-line support amounts received by their wireline counterparts.

Finally, CTIA said that it supports the Joint Board’s proposal to set aside dedicated funding for the creation and deployment of mobility and broadband, but urged the commission to create a functional definition of “broadband” rather than rigid speed requirements, as it plans to better support the deployment of broadband networks in underserved areas.