FCC Is Ready to Spend $1.2B on Rural Broadband Deployments
The Federal Communications Commission says it's ready to authorize more than $1.2 billion in funding to expand broadband availability in 32 states via the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund.
"In the largest funding round to date," the FCC says in a news release, "23 broadband providers will bring broadband service to over 1 million locations. The Commission also has created the Rural Broadband Accountability Plan, a new effort to monitor and ensure compliance for universal service high-cost programs including the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund."
The commission announced in July 2021 that it wanted to "clean up" the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund after it discovered that internet service providers (ISPs) had accepted funds to deploy broadband in urban areas or in places where high-speed internet was already available. Those companies were told to either justify their bids or withdraw their funding requests.
Now the FCC is planning to implement additional oversight for Rural Digital Opportunity Fund recipients. The commission says it will be:
Increasing audits and verifications of support recipients – The number of audits andverifications will double in 2022 as compared to 2021, and include on-site audits aswell as audits and verifications based upon random selection.
Increasing audits and verifications of large and higher-risk support recipients – Thelargest dollar recipients will be subject to an on-site audit in at least one state andhigher-risk recipients will be subject to additional audits and verifications.
Increasing program transparency – For the first time, results of verifications, audits,and speed and latency performance testing will be made public on USAC’s website.
More information about the FCC's plan to oversee
Read more on pcmag.com
