The FCC said yesterday that it is ready to authorize funding for six more Connect America CAF II auction winners. The “ready to authorize” designation indicates that the FCC has reviewed and approved a winner’s application to deploy broadband in high-cost areas for which the entity won funding. Entities on the “ready to authorize” list released yesterday have until September 10 to obtain irrevocable standby letters of credit and bankruptcy code option letters from their legal counsel in order to obtain final authorization.
The Connect America CAF II auction used a reverse auction process that awarded funding to entities that committed to deploying broadband service to unserved or underserved rural areas for the lowest level of support. A weighting system provided an advantage to entities that said they would deploy service at higher speeds or with lower latency. The auction, completed one year ago, tentatively awarded a total of $1.488 billion over 10 years to the winners.
The FCC has been releasing “ready to authorize” lists at the rate of about one per month and also has issued several lists of entities that have obtained final authorization.
Ready to Authorize CAF II Winners
Entities on the “ready to authorize” list released yesterday and the states they plan to serve to include:
CAF II Winners “Ready to Authorize”
| Entity | States |
|---|---|
| Gallatin Wireless Internet | Montana |
| Inventive Wireless of Nebraska | Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming |
| LTD Broadband LLC | Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota |
| Newmax, LLC dba Intermax Networks | Idaho, Washington |
| Oklahoma Fiber, LLC | Oklahoma |
| Sunset Digital Communications | Tennessee, Virginia |
Source: FCC, Telecompetitor
Details about these winners can be found in today’s FCC public notice and its attachment.
