FCC Announces $313 Million Through Rural Digital Opportunity Fund

The Federal Communications Commission 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 FCC 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 FCC continues its efforts to monitor and ensure compliance with the program rules through the Rural Broadband Accountability Plan and other oversight measures. This includes sending letters to 197 applicants concerning areas where there was evidence of existing service or questions of waste, denying waivers for winning bidders that have not made appropriate efforts to secure state approvals or prosecute their applications, and conducting an exhaustive technical, financial, and legal review of all winning bidders.