FCC’s Mobility Fund II will primarily benefit western half of U.S.

The Federal Communications Commission has released a detailed map of eligibility for its Mobility Fund Phase II (MF-II) auction, designed to help bring 4G LTE service to rural areas. The map indicates which areas of the country are “presumed eligible” for the MF-II auction. Most of the eligibility is dispersed throughout the western half of the US. States with the most coverage -- indicating areas with less access to 4G LTE -- include North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado. In the eastern side of the country, eligible areas are found in states Iowa, Wisconsin, Kentucky, West Virginia and Virginia, and parts of New York and Maine. However, the CCA -- the trade association representing the nation's smaller wireless carriers -- said the FCC's new map falls short of expectations.