AT&T wants Big Tech firms to pay into telecom and broadband subsidy fund
 https://yakihonne.s3.ap-east-1.amazonaws.com/ad6a909b8dfd6e278f94881d83dbd5ad5f9260c7502175059b29042e589fb93c/files/1719292247004-YAKIHONNES3.jpg

AT&T John Stankey said on Monday that Congress should give the Federal Communications Commission the power to require Big Tech firms to contribute to a government fund that subsidizes access to telecom and broadband services.

Under current law, fees are levied on cell phone and landline service subscribers to support the Universal Service Fund, which spends about $8 billion a year - nearly all collected from surcharges on telephone bills.

"The seven largest and most profitable companies in the world built their franchises on the internet and the infrastructure we provide," Stankey said in remarks at a telecom industry forum in Utah. "Why shouldn’t they participate in ensuring affordable and equitable access to the services of today that are just as indispensable as the phone lines of yesteryear?"