During the 2017 General Session, the Utah State Legislature passed Senate Bill 130, Universal Service Fund Amendments. The bill was sponsored by Senator David Hinkins and Representative Francis Gibson and amends the State Universal Service Fund statute to reflect changes in technology. The bill requires each access line or connection provider in the state who connects to the public switched network to contribute to the Universal Public Telecommunications Service Support Fund regardless of the technology used. The bill also explicitly states that the fund shall support networks capable of providing voice and wholesale broadband internet access.
The Utah Public Service Commission will be responsible for developing the method of contribution to the fund and the contribution charge. The statutory amendments take effect July 1, 2017 and the Utah Public Service Commission has opened a docket to establish the contribution rules.