FCC Committing Nearly $200 Million for New Broadband Deployments
FCC Committing Nearly $200 Million for New Broadband Deployments
May 6, 2022
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On May 3, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced it is ready to authorize $199,336,695 from the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) for new broadband deployments over the next 10 years in 26 states and the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. territory. This will bring broadband service to more than 230,000 locations.
This is the ninth round of program funding, which has provided over $5.2 billion for broadband deployment to three million locations in 47 states and the Northern Mariana Islands. Funds were approved for companies including Cable One, Conexon Connect, Cebridge Telecom, and many more.
“We need to connect everyone, everywhere, and today’s announcement will open new opportunities to serve communities that need high-speed, reliable broadband service,” said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel on May 3. “We’re also working hard to make the best use of this funding to ensure that applicants meet their obligations and follow our rules. With proper oversight, this program can advance our goal of closing the digital divide.”
Regarding proper oversight, Rosenworcel recently implemented the Rural Broadband Accountability Plan. This is a new effort to monitor and ensure compliance for universal service high-cost programs, such as the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund and the Connect America Fund (CAF) Phase II Auction.
The FCC said in its announcement that it sent letters to 197 applicants concerning areas where there was evidence of existing service or questions of waste. The Commission also denied waivers for winning bidders that had not secured proper state approvals or correctly completed their applications.