USO

USO

 

The Universal Service Support Policy came into effect from 1st April 2002. The Indian Telegraph (Amendment) Act 2003, which provided statutory status to the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF), was passed by both Houses of Parliament in December 2003. In 2023, the USOF was restructured and renamed as the Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN) under the Telecommunications Act, 2023. The DBN is headed by the Administrator, DBN, who is empowered to formulate procedures for the implementation of the universal service and the disbursement of funds from the DBN. The Universal Access Levy (UAL) is presently 5% of the Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) of all telecom service providers, except for pure value-added service providers like Internet, Voice Mail, and E-Mail service providers.

Controller of Communication Accounts (CCAs) continue to serve as the Designated Monitoring Agency (DMA) for the DBN. As DMA, CCAs are responsible for the timely disbursement of subsidies in accordance with the terms and conditions of the respective DBN agreements. They also conduct physical verification of schemes, carry out post-implementation reviews of DBN projects/schemes, and maintain records and returns of claims.