The Federal Communications Commission has just unveiled a new plan that'll overhaul an $8 billion fund that's currently used to "subsidize phone service in rural areas and for the poor," pointing that money towards buildouts in the ambitious rural broadband initiative. Most critics suggest that the existing fee model is severely outdated, and in fact, encourages "perverse schemes by carriers to stimulate certain kinds of phone traffic." Not surprisingly, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski has said that he "doesn't expect" phone rates to increase for most consumers, and the agency's currently estimating a $2.2 billion savings from fees that are currently paid out to
