skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Tuesday, April 15, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Proposed NIOSH cuts could affect health of coal miners. Poll: Voters oppose MO House repeal of Prop A's sick-leave provision and Savannah leaders are calling on Congress.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

El Salvador's President rejects returning a Maryland man who was mistakenly deported. The US stock market improves, but confusion lingers around tariffs. And universities try to comply with President Trump's DEI orders.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Trump's tariffs sow doubt and stress for America's farmers, rural Democrats want working class voters back in the fold, and a cancelled local food program for kids worries folks in Maine.

SCOTUS to decide future of fund seen as lifeline for rural broadband

play audio
Play

Monday, March 10, 2025   

Later this month, on March 26, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case that challenges the constitutionality of a federal fund that aids rural broadband service.

South Dakota advocates say a negative outcome could be devastating for customers.

A conservative organization brought the case, hoping to end a Federal Communications Commission fee that flows into what's known as the Universal Service Fund.

It provides $8 billion a year for telecommunications programs geared toward underserved populations. That includes high-speed internet service in rural areas.

Kara Semmler, general counsel and executive director of the South Dakota Telecommunications Association, said she worries about the impact if the challenge is successful.

"Children will be missing out on educational opportunities," said Semmler, "businesses will lose their competitiveness."

Industry groups say rates for customers, benefiting from the fund, will double if it's struck down.

The plaintiffs contend the fee mechanism used to prop up the fund is more like a tax, meaning Congress should have the oversight.

Semmler said shifting that power would result in funding uncertainty for an industry that relies on long-term planning.

Cellphone service providers and other telecom companies pay the fee that's at the center of the legal argument. Those costs are passed along to consumers across the country through their monthly bills.

Semmler said it's a small price to pay to maintain critical broadband infrastructure in rural pockets.

"It's that ongoing operation, maintenance, and affordability of the product," said Semmler. "It does no good to have infrastructure in the ground if it becomes unaffordable for South Dakota consumers to use."

Semmler said they've had productive conversations with South Dakota's Congressional delegation about "Plan B" strategies.

But she acknowledged the budget-cutting tone in Washington D.C. right now, while adding it would be hard for state government to fill any sudden funding gaps.




get more stories like this via email

more stories
Nearly 20% of Nevada's residents are foreign-born, according to the American Immigration Council. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

The Nevada Immigrant Coalition and community organizers are sounding the alarm about expected Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in Southern…


Environment

play sound

A Wisconsin-based nonprofit hopes a new law can help some of its struggling farmers quickly recoup federal grant funds they are owed. The Honor …

Environment

play sound

By Seth Millstein for Sentient.Broadcast version by Suzanne Potter for California News Service reporting for the Sentient-Public News Service Collabor…


King County reported more than 16,000 people experiencing homelessness last year, which is more than half the state's unhoused population. (Mallivan/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

A unique approach to preventing youth homelessness in Washington is proving highly effective, with more than 93% of participants still housed one …

Social Issues

play sound

Despite voter approval in November, Missouri lawmakers are moving to undo part of Proposition A, specifically, the clause requiring employers to …

Federal data show in 2023, an estimated 3,275 people were killed nationwide in distracted driving-related crashes. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Law enforcement agencies are still trying to get the message through about the dangers and costs that stem from distracted driving. A Minnesota …

Environment

play sound

Warmer winters and prolonged drought have turned Colorado forests into a budworm and beetle buffet, according to a new report from Colorado State …

Social Issues

play sound

The latest trade war under the Trump administration is stirring debate about whether tariffs are effective, and a South Dakota business is arguing a 1…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021