The Universal Communications Service Access Fund (UCSAF) was established under the Universal Communications Service Access Act; Cap 422 which was assented by the President of the United Republic of Tanzania in January 2007. Under the Act, the Minister responsible for communications published Regulations which govern the operations of the Fund came into force in April 2009. The Fund has a Ten (10) Member Board which was inaugurated in November 2009. However the Board appointment was not complete, as it did not have the members representing private sector. The private sector representatives were appointed in October 2010.

The Government of Tanzania has taken initiative to ensure that communication as a universal right is accessible to its entire population; the Fund was established to facilitate access to communication services. While it is the responsibility of private entities to provide communication services, the Government came to realize that not all areas in the country could be economically viable for provision of communication services, the Fund came to existence to ensure that even those areas which are economically unviable have access to communication services (ICT, Postal and Broadcasting).