 loss of revenue experienced by many rural carriers, the FCC also revamped the subsidy fund from which rate of return carriers can draw. A rate of return carrier is an incumbent telephone company that is allowed to adjust their rates SO that they earn a set return, a profit. The rate reductions for originating access fees are the current subject of another FCC project, for which the FCC is still accepting comments from the public and affected organizations. Alternate Connect America Model The United States has a long history of subsidizing telephone service through universal service that initially only applied to voice telephone service. The goal of subsidizing telephone service was to enable subscribers in rural areas to have access to the same quality voice and broadband options at rates comparable to subscribers in urban and suburban areas. Comparable prices and services in rural areas cost more to provide than those in urban areas where costs for upgrading to, say, fiber from copper are offset by revenue from having more customers per mile. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 codified universal service by establishing the Universal Service Fund (USF), which subsidizes costs for Internet access in rural and high-cost (for example, mountainous) areas. In 2016, the FCC introduced Alternative Connect America Model (A-CAM) and changed the Universal Service Fund name to the Alternate Connect America Model. The A- www.TechnicalPDF.com CAM is paid for by contributions from long-distance, paging, and mobile carriers. Contributions are based on a percentage of revenue from these services. Carriers that mix voice and data on transmission lines that carry traffic to the Internet and to long-distance switches also contribute based on revenue from these services. The four groups eligible for A-CAM subsidies are: Lifeline for low-income subscribers and residents of Tribal lands The E-rate for schools and libraries Subsidies for rural areas where costs for telecommunications facilities are high because there are fewer homes a