From the Courts to the Commission: Legal Threats to E-Rate, Rural Health Care, and USF

E-Rate and the Rural Health Care program have connected America's schools, libraries, and rural health providers for decades. Now all the programs, along with the whole Universal Service Program, are under threat. In this plenary, our expert speakers will look at the legal and political fights that could reshape or unravel these programs, from the courts to the Commission. The Supreme Court upheld the Universal Service Fund in 2025, but the challenges did not stop there. A new case is being argued in the Fifth Circuit right now, and simultaneously, the FCC has initiated a top down review of all USF programs, even asking whether E-Rate should be terminated. Billions of dollars in annual support, and the communities that rely on it, hang in the balance. Our panelists will look back at how this fight has unfolded so far and ahead to how it is likely to play out.