FCC Chairman Ajit Pai appointed FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly to be Chairman of the Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service. The Federal-State Joint Board was created in 1996 and its mission is to make recommendations to implement various provisions of the 1996 Telecommunications Act specifically tied to the Universal Service Program. The E-rate is one of the specific Universal Service Programs that was established in 1996.
Further information on the mission, activities and members of the Joint Board can be viewed on the FCC website here.