This bill asks the FCC to study whether big tech companies like Google, Facebook, and Netflix should help pay for internet services in America. Right now, internet and phone companies pay into something called the Universal Service Fund, which helps bring affordable broadband to rural areas, schools, libraries, and low-income families through a discount program. The idea behind this bill is to see if it's fair to ask tech companies—who make money from providing online content and services—to chip in too.

The FCC would need to figure out several important things: which tech companies should pay and how much, whether this would be fairer than the current system, how it might affect what people pay for their internet and phone bills, and whether this new approach would keep the fund stable and predictable for years to come. Essentially, this is about exploring whether the companies that profit from the internet should help fund the infrastructure that makes internet access possible for everyone, especially people who can't afford it otherwise.

FAIR Contributions Act

Wicker, Roger F.

Funding Affordable Internet with Reliable Contributions Act or the FAIR Contributions Act This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to study and report on the feasibility of funding the Universal Service Fund through contributions from edge providers (i.e., providers of online content or services, such as search engines). The fund provides support for broadband and other telecommunications services to high-cost areas, schools and libraries, rural health care facilities, and the Lifeline program (an FCC program that provides a discount on phone and internet services for low-income consumers). The report must consider (1) the type and size of firms and services on which contributions could be assessed, (2) equity issues related to current versus alternative systems for contributing to the fund, (3) the effect of any change to the contribution system on the telecommunications bills of consumers, and (4) the sustainability of the fund and how to ensure that fund disbursements are consistent and predictable over time.