FCC Announces $313 Million For Broadand Through The Rural Digital Opportunity Fund As Work Continues To Strengthen The Program
The following press release was issued by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Friday, March 25
Funding to Support Broadband Deployments to Over 130,000 Locations in 19 States
WASHINGTON, March 25, 2022—The Federal Communications Commission today announced that it is ready to authorize more than $313 million through the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund to fund new broadband deployments in 19 states bringing service to over 130,000 locations. This is the eighth round of funding in the program, which to date has provided over $5 billion in funding for new deployments in 47 states to bring broadband to over 2.8 million locations.
“The funding announced today will help hundreds of thousands of Americans get access to high-speed, reliable broadband service,” said Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. “We continue our expanded oversight of this program through the Rural Broadband Accountability Plan to make sure that applicants deliver services as promised to areas that truly need help.”
The Commission also denied a petition by RHMD, LLC for waiver of the deadline to obtain eligible telecommunications carrier status because the company failed to diligently pursue efforts to obtain the designation.
The Commission continues its efforts to monitor and ensure compliance with the program rules through the Rural Broadband Accountability Plan and other oversight measures including:
- Sending letters to 197 applicants concerning areas where there was evidence of existing service or questions of waste. Bidders have already chosen not to pursue support in approximately 5,000 census blocks in response to the Commission’s letters.
- Denying waivers for winning bidders, like RHMD, that have not made appropriate efforts to secure state approvals or prosecute their applications. These bidders would have otherwise received almost $370 million.
- Conducting an exhaustive technical, financial, and legal review of all winning bidders.
A list of the eligible census blocks covered by the winning bids announced today is available under the “Results” tab on this page: https://www.fcc.gov/auction/904/round-results. For a list of RDOF providers and funding amounts by state, see https://www.fcc.gov/auction/904.
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Media Relations: (202) 418-0500 / ASL: (844) 432-2275 / Twitter: @FCC / www.fcc.gov