• September 10, 2020

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The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released a status update regarding the short-form applications for the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) Phase I Auction. The announcement noted the auction could potentially include as many as 505 bidders.

The goal of the RDOF auction, also known as Auction 904, is to bring high-speed broadband networks to homes and businesses in unserved rural areas across America. The FCC is allotting up to $20.4 billion, to be distributed over 10 years, to qualified bidders in a two-part auction series. Phase I of the RDOF auction is scheduled to begin on October 29, 2020 and will offer $16 billion to bidders to use towards more than six million businesses and homes in unserved census blocks that have download speeds of 25 Mbps, at minimum. During Phase II, the FCC will award the additional $4.4 billion to bidders to target partially served census blocks and remaining locations that were not funded in Phase I.

The FCC released a public notice outlining the application status of Auction 904. Currently, there are 121 complete applications and 384 incomplete applications. Bidders who submitted incomplete applications have until September 23, 2020 to correct any outstanding issues and resubmit.

For more information, or to stay current on what’s happening during Auction 904, visit the FCC’s website https://www.fcc.gov/auction/904.

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Sources:

fcc.gov/auction/904

telecompetitor.com/rdof-auction-bidders-could-number-over-500-including-verizon-viasat-many-more/

fcc.gov/implementing-rural-digital-opportunity-fund-rdof-auction

docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-20-960A1.pdf

docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-364457A1.pdf