Another USF option for VoIP carriers

You'll remember that the FCC voted a couple of weeks ago [1] to make VoIP carriers pay into the Universal Service Fund, just as legacy carriers do. The National Journal was listening very closely to the hearing and came away with some interesting details. Under normal circumstances, VoIP carriers have to cough up roughly 10 percent of roughly 65 percent of their revenues--the idea being that 65 percent of the carriers' traffic is interstate. But if a carrier can prove that less of its traffic is interstate, it has a choice: either pay the FCC's rate or allow itself to be regulated by states. Given the patchwork of state utility commissions and their regulations, it seems like rendering unto the FCC is the lesser of two evils.

For more information about the USF:
- read this article [2] from the National Journal