On June 21, 2006, the FCC voted unanimously to require all interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services that connect to the public-switched telephone network to contribute to the Federal Universal Service Fund (USF).  This $7.3 billion fund, which has been a feature of U.S. policy for more than 70 years, subsidizes telephone service in rural and low-income areas.  The fund also runs a program called E-Rate that provides discounted Internet and phone service to schools and libraries.