Universal Service Fund

A number of former Federal Communications Commission (FCC) officials are pointing to expanding the Lifeline program, under the Universal Service Fund (USF), as the way to save a version of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), and prevent tens of millions of people from losing access to the monthly broadband subsidy. One way the FCC could do that was outlined in a recent petition for expedited rulemaking filed

A group known as the "coalition of RDOF winners" has weighed in on whether the Federal Communications Commission should grant an amnesty period for providers to relinquish their locations awarded through the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) in the interest of making those locations available for the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program instead.

On Saturday, March 23, 2024, President Joe Biden signed into law the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 (H.R. 2882), legislation that provides funding through September 30, 2024, for projects and activities of departments and agencies of the Federal Government. H.R. 2882 completes the appropriations process for fiscal year 2024 (FY2024). Earlier in March, President Biden signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 (H.R.

As the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) considers pleas for more lenient Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) fines, electric co-ops are saying it's time for defaulters to own up. Internet service providers (ISP) have been defaulting on RDOF grants for years and have been struck with sizeable penalties from the FCC as a result.

The Nebraska Public Service Commission (PSC) issued an Order awarding nearly $21 million to winning bids for broadband buildout to more than 1,100 unserved Nebraska households as a result of its 2024 Reverse Auction.

It seems like the Universal Service Fund (USF) has been stuck in a loop for years, as debates over how it could be improved and better funded rage on. There are plenty of possible solutions on the table, yet the wheels just keep on spinning.

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel called on the FCC to move ahead with plans to make targeted investments in the deployment of wireless broadband services in rural communities. The proposed rules shared with her fellow Commissioners would, if adopted by a vote of the full Commission, relaunch the 5G Fund for Rural America.

Altice USA was awarded Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (“RDOF”) funding to deploy 100/20 Mbps service to 18 census block groups (“CBGs”) in Louisiana. Now Altice notifies the Federal Communications Commission of its plans to surrender its awarded RDOF areas in Louisiana. Altice had begun connecting unserved locations in its RDOF areas.

Spectrum announced the launch of Spectrum Internet, Mobile, TV and Voice services to approximately 400 homes and small businesses throughout rural Walworth County, Wisconsin. Spectrum’s newly constructed fiber-optic network buildout includes parts of the city and town of Whitewater and the towns of LaGrange and Sugar Creek.

There’s a lot of talk about how the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) might make a mess of things with the Broadband Equity, Access & Deployment (BEAD) program. That’s because if a location is covered by an RDOF award, then it’s ineligible for a BEAD grant. Unfortunately, many RDOF awardees have officially defaulted on their obligations to build fiber, or they just haven’t made any progress in deploying the fiber.