Lawmakers Mull Phone Subsidy Overhaul With Internet Access

Senior lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday began discussions on the daunting task of overhauling subsidies for telephone companies that offer phone service in hard-to-reach areas, with a key member suggesting that recipients be required to offer Internet access to all of their customers.

Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Va., who chairs the Energy and Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet, has for years sponsored legislation with Rep. Lee Terry, R-Neb., that would rewrite the complex subsidy fund. Most customers pay into the fund as part of their monthly phone bills.

With the subcommittee gavel in hand, Boucher now has a chance to make the bill move in Congress.

Lawmakers Mull Phone Subsidy Overhaul With Internet Access