Source: Reuters
“The U.S. Supreme Court appeared sympathetic on Wednesday to the Federal Communications Commission’s defense of the mechanism it uses to fund a multi-billion dollar effort to expand phone and broadband internet access to low-income and rural Americans and other beneficiaries. The justice heard arguments in an appeal by the agency and a coalition of telecommunications firms and interest groups of a lower court’s ruling that the FCC funding operation effectively levied a ‘misbegotten tax’ on consumers in violation of the U.S. Constitution’s vesting of legislative authority in Congress. It was the latest case to come to the Supreme Court challenging the power of federal agencies. A majority of the nine justices, citing a range of concerns, seemed wary of adopting the lower court’s ruling against the FCC.” (03/26/25)