The acting head of the nonprofit corporation that runs the Universal Service Fund is exiting.
Acting CEO of the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC), Scott Barash, said Jan. 29 that he is stepping down to become general counsel of the University of the District of Columbia. Acting is a bit of a misnomer since Barash had been acting CEO for more than eight years (as of January 2014). Barash joined USAC in 1999 as general counsel.
USAC COO Richard Belden will be interim CEO until a replacement can be found, according to the board of directors.
“USAC has been a wonderful place to work, where the important mission of universal service is carried out by talented, committed people doing outstanding work," said Barash in a statement. "I want to thank all of them for making my job so rewarding and enjoyable. I also want to thank the dozens of USAC Board Members who provided guidance and support to me and the organization, making sure that USAC did the best job it could helping to make access to affordable telecommunications and Internet services available."
The FCC is in the midst of migrating the fund to broadband support. Telecom companies pay into the fund to subsidize telecom service in hard or expensive-to-reach places.
