Utah PSC Hikes State USF Surcharge, Defends Transparency

The Utah Public Service Commission has an "exceedingly transparent" process for determining Utah USF (UUSF) distributions and surcharges, the PSC said in a Monday order. The commission responded to CTIA’s call for greater transparency, while nearly doubling the surcharge to 71 cents per access line, from 36 cents, effective Dec. 29. The commission proposed the increase last September (see 2309200047). CTIA complained in comments Friday that the Utah Department of Public Utilities (DPU) didn’t sufficiently explain the purpose for additional funding “or whether such surcharges are prudent and necessary.” The wireless industry association said, “Appropriate transparency is particularly crucial for Utah’s wireless consumers because of the significant economic burden they bear supporting the UUSF.” The Utah commission “respect[s] CTIA’s concerns around transparency but note[s] they focus exclusively on one action request response issued by the DPU,” the order said. “That filing by the DPU was a meaningful, but single, component of a fulsome and transparent regulatory process that involved both the DPU, the PSC, and multiple opportunities for any interested person to provide comments.”