Conservatives target $8 billion internet and phone subsidy. Supreme Court weighs in.

Source: USA Today

Published 5:12 a.m. ET March 25, 2025


WASHINGTON - When the pandemic prevented Arkansas River Valley residents from accessing the internet at their nearby local library, it didn't stop librarians from providing the critical service. They mounted antennas on rooftops to extend the signal. “We still do it,” said Misty Hawkins, the regional library director.

The rural population with a median family income below $46,000 depends on the reliable internet connection that its seven libraries provide through a federal program. “Lives are being changed through the distribution of a computer, through a connection, or a person being able to have resume assistance, or being able to get their GED,” Hawkins said. “That’s life changing and that’s whether or not they’re going to be able to put food on the table.”

The Supreme Court on Wednesday will hear a challenge to the $8 billion Universal Service Fund program that could jeopardize the availability and affordability of high-speed internet and phone service for millions of Americans, including those served by the Arkansas River Valley Regional Library System.

The case could also have broad repercussions for how much power Congress can delegate to federal agencies to make decisions about implementing legislation. The Supreme Court’s conservative super majority has in recent years curtailed the authority of executive agencies. And the latest challenge is part of that larger conservative effort to curb the “administrative state.”

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/03/25/supreme-court-internet-phone-subsidy/82641812007/