Chairman Ajit Pai Announces Formation Of The Rural Broadband Auctions Task Force

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai announced the formation of the Rural Broadband Auctions Task Force to implement the upcoming Universal Service Fund-related auctions. The Task Force will oversee both the Connect America Fund Phase II (CAF-II) and Mobility Fund II (MF-II) auctions. The CAF-II auction will offer almost $2 billion to bidders to connect unserved and underserved locations over the next decade. The MF-II auction will make available more than $4.5 billion in new funding over ten years for expanding 4G LTE mobile coverage across rural America and in Tribal lands. Chairman Pai named Chelsea Fallon as Director of the Task Force, with Michael Janson and Kirk Burgee as Deputy Directors. Thom Parisi will serve as the Chief of Staff of the Task Force.