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DAILY NEWS ANALYSIS
27 January, 2024
3 Min Read
Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) is the pool of funds generated by 5% Universal Service Levy that is charged upon all the telecom fund operators on their Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR). This fund is deposited in the Consolidated Fund of India and is dispatched on the approval of the Indian Parliament.
The USOF comes under the Indian Telegraph Act 1885. The act was amended in 2003 to give statutory status to the fund. The Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications governs the fund and related provisions.
The aim of USOF is to provide a balance between the provision of Universal Service to all uncovered areas, including the rural areas.
The USOF is in the news as the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has asked to reduce the license fee by 8% which comprises USOF (5%) and License Fee (3%). The proposal has come on the account of debts faced by Telecom Companies, and the rising demand for telecom services with the advent of Work From Home (WFH) amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Telecom service providers have urged the Ministry of Finance to suspend the universal service obligation fund (USOF) levy until the existing corpus is exhausted.
About Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF)
What is the Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF)?
Adjusted gross revenue (AGR)?
Telecom operators are required to pay license fee and spectrum charges in the form of ‘revenue share’ to the Government. The revenue amount used to calculate this revenue share is known as AGR.
Source: pib
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