NCTA, ACA fight telcos on Universal Service Reform

Both big and small cable operators are fighting a proposal by AT&T (NYSE: T), Verizon (NYSE: VZ), CenturyLink (NYSE: CTL) and other telcos to reform the Universal Service Fund, which helps provide telephone service to low-income homes. The National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) and the American Cable Association (ACA) complained in a joint letter to the FCC that telcos would get right of first refusal for support from the fund, and that cable operators would be denied the opportunity to receive support even when they can serve an area more efficiently. B&C takes a closer look at the debate.