Alaska Plan is a funding win that 'future proofs' networks, Alaska Telephone Association members say

The Alaska Plan approved recently by the Federal Communications Commission is going to work, said the Alaska Telephone Association (ATA), the leading proponent of the funding plan, mainly because it provides “predictable [Universal Service Fund] support payments” that are critical to keeping carriers in business in the United States’ highest-cost telecommunication operating area. Under the new plan, 15 wireline and wireless providers in the state will receive over $1 billion in federal funds over a 10-year period to invest in their telecommunications infrastructure. “Alaska represents the highest-cost local telecom construction and ongoing operating costs in the nation,” said Ed Cushing, president of the ATA. “Providing rural Alaskans with high-quality, affordably-priced broadband service simply is not possible without the predictable USF support payments secured by the FCC's approval of Alaska Plan." Under the plan, which differs quite a bit from other universal service funding in the lower 48 states, both wireline and wireless carriers in the state will receive funding that is fixed at adjusted 2011 rates.