New broadband bill draws opposition in Georgia Senate committee [telecom]

open original image

By Dave Williams

ATLANTA - Legislation that would tap into a new source of funding to expand broadband service in Georgia got some pushback this week from the telecom industry.

Senate Bill 65 would convert a portion of a state fund that now subsidizes land-line service provided by rural telephone companies into a pot of money to be used for broadband projects. That portion of the Universal Access Fund (UAF) is due to expire later this year, a decade after the fund was created.