The FCC https://www.fcc.gov is authorizing $199,336,695 through the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund to fund new broadband deployments in 26 states and the Northern Marianna Islands which will bring service to over 230,000 locations.
To date the program has committed over $5.2 billion for broadband deployment to three million locations in 47 states and the Northern Mariana Islands. In January, Chairwoman Rosenworcel established the Rural Broadband Accountability Plan, an effort to monitor and ensure compliance for universal service high cost programs, including the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) and the Connect America Fund (CAF) Phase II Auction.
The RDOF is taking another step to strengthen their oversight that includes sending letters to 197 applicants concerning areas where there is or was evidence of existing service or questions of waste.
Another RDOF move is to deny winning bidders that have not made appropriate efforts to secure state approvals or handle their applications. Otherwise these bidders would have received $370 million.
FCC has also announced that the FCC, NTIA, USDA, and Treasury have signed an agreement to collaborate on Federal Broadband funding and share information regarding the collection and reporting of certain data and metrices related to broadband deployment.
The leaders announced that their agencies will consult with each other and share information on data collected from programs administered by the FCC, USDA’s Rural Utilities Service programs administered or coordinated by NTIA, Treasury’s Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund, and the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund.