FCC Tweaks Connect America Order

The Federal Communications Commission says it has taken steps to better insure that the broadband subsidies in the first phase of its Connect America Fund (CAF) transition from phone to broadband support is not used to overbuild existing service, something cable operators have been, and continue to be, concerned about.

The FCC in May released a second tranche of money in Phase I of its Connect America Funding of rural fixed broadband buildouts in areas unserved by its definition of high-speed broadband, which it expanded to from those without dial-up speeds (768 downstream/200 Kbps upstream) to some areas lacking up to the FCC's definition of high-speed access (at least 3 Mbps downstream and 768 Mbps upstream). Carriers who plan to deliver service to census blocks not identified in its initial proposal, or who plan not to serve blocks that were identified, must inform the FCC and relevant state and local governments beforehand, 90 days before hand in the case of adding blocks.