The Supreme Court in a 6-3 vote on Friday upheld the fee that is added to phone bills to provide billions of dollars each year in subsidized phone and internet services for schools, rural areas and libraries, the Associated Press reports. The move reversed an appeals court ruling that had struck down the Universal Service Fund, declaring it unconstitutional after the charge had been added to phone bills for almost three decades.
Telecommunications providers pass the cost on to consumers, and the Federal Communications Commission collects the money afterward. Duringarguments in March, both liberal and conservative justices had expressed concerns about the possible detrimental effects of eliminating the fund, which has supported tens of millions of Americans.
