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From: Dimensional Traveler <dtravel@sonic.net>
Newsgroups: rec.arts.tv
Subject: Re: Constitutionality of Universal Service Fund
Date: Thu, 14 Nov 2024 07:37:40 -0800
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On 11/14/2024 5:57 AM, shawn wrote:
> On Thu, 14 Nov 2024 06:45:19 -0500, Rhino
> <no_offline_contact@example.com> wrote:
> 
>> On 2024-11-14 2:43 AM, Adam H. Kerman wrote:
>>> Much of television is regulated by aspects of telecom law, and the
>>> Universal Service Fund subsidy is imposed on cable subscribers who
>>> receive telecom services from their cable company.
>>>
>>> This is a massive fee imposed upon telephone subscribers that pays for
>>> rural telephone -- and these days broadband -- services. It's outrageous
>>> and a subsidy to land from people elsewhere in the country. To the
>>> extent that utilities must be subsidized in rural areas, tax land.
>>>
>>> There's now a circuit split. Previously the Supreme Court had denied
>>> cert. Now, FCC has asked that the constitutionality of the Fund be
>>> upheld. I hope it dies. By some estimates, there are some estimates that
>>> the fee on the few remaining POTS subscribers could hit $75 monthly.
>>>
>>> https://www.scotusblog.com/2024/11/fcc-asks-court-to-uphold-constitutionality-of-nationwide-rural-phone-and-internet-subsidies/
>>
>> I think I get why you object to the fee and the way it is levied. What
>> would you do to solve the problem of providing phone and broadband
>> service to remote locations? Leave it up to the private sector - notably
>> Starlink? Or have you got some other idea for how services in remote
>> areas can be provided?
>>
>> I gather satellite phones are notoriously expensive although I gather
>> Starlink is actually pretty reasonable pricewise. I'm not sure if
>> Starlink can be used to make phone calls.
> 
> It can be used to make phone calls since you can make phone calls over
> any Internet connection. That said there may be issues with 911
> support over Starlink.

I suspect the issue is with E911 Phase 2 service.  That is the ability 
to have a caller's location appear on the 911 operator's console when a 
call comes in.  Before cell phones it was a simple lookup in the phone 
company's records for the location of the landline phone in their 
billing records.  With cell phones it is done by triangulating on the 
cell phone's location from the ping/transmission time to the nearest 
cells.  This works better in urban areas where there are plenty of cell 
towers/relays, not so good in the boondocks but usually enough to locate 
to within a hundred meters.

I don't know if that is even possible with satellite phones.  Even if it 
is it is not going to be anywhere near as accurate.

-- 
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky 
dirty old man.