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ExpectMore.govExpectMore.gov home pageEXPECT FEDERAL PROGRAMS TO PERFORM WELL, AND BETTER EVERY YEAR.
 
Program Assessment

Program

View Assessment Details

Universal Service Fund High Cost

The purpose of this program is to help ensure that telecommunications consumers across the country have access to services at comparable prices. To this end, the program provides support for telecommunications services to carriers in rural areas, which typically experience higher service costs.

Rating

What This Rating Means

NOT PERFORMING
Results Not Demonstrated

A rating of Results Not Demonstrated (RND) indicates that a program has not been able to develop acceptable performance goals or collect data to determine whether it is performing.
  • The program lacks measures and goals to assess performance. The program does not measure the impact of funds on telephone subscribership in rural areas or other potential measures of program success, nor does it base funding decisions on measurable benefits.
  • Program administration lacks sufficient Federal oversight. No memorandum of understanding exists between the Federal Communications Commission and the program's non-Federal Administrator, nor have measurable standards for program administration been established.
  • The program lacks rigorous financial management practices. The FCC has recently taken steps to ensure that funds are maintained in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles for Federal agencies. However, independent auditors have revealed areas for improvement in USF financial controls.

Improvement Plan

About Improvement Plans

We are taking the following actions to improve the performance of the program:

  • Increasing financial oversight of the program through audits and investigations of the Fund.
  • Conducting a comprehensive review of the USF through the rulemaking process, including an examination of performance measures, management practices, program policies, administration, and oversight.

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