Supreme Court skeptical of challenge to phone and internet subsidy program for under-served areas

[highplainsdem]

4. More from Reuters on what looks likely to be a good decision for us:

https://www.reuters.com/legal/us-supreme-court-scrutinize-federal-communications-commission-funds-legality-2025-03-26/

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.

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A majority of the nine justices, citing a range of concerns, seemed wary of adopting the lower court's ruling against the FCC.

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Several liberal and conservative justices voiced worries that striking down the part of law that authorized the FCC's fund would imperil similar funding setups at the Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

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This suggests SCOTUS will protect the FDIC as well, despite Trump/Musk wanting to get rid of it.