The concept of universal service needs to evolve with the changing digital environment. Current policies and practices are already outdated when viewed in the light of technological developments and the dynamic broadband markets around the world. During 2009-10, Finland, New Zealand, and the US have proposed to reform their universal service obligations (USOs) and/or universal service fund (USF) systems, at the same time as announcing national digital strategies. The European Commission (EC) also proposed reform of the concept of universal service in its March 2010 consultation paper on reviewing the Universal Service Directive (USD).
This report presents some of the national digital strategies announced around the world and explores the evolution of existing universal service systems. It also identifies various barriers to the reform of universal service, and the associated costs and methods to fund it.
