The FCC took action today on three issues impacting rural carriers. At today’s monthly FCC meeting, the commission adopted new call completion rules and proposed others. In addition, the commission proposed to deregulate business data services provided by certain rate-of-return (ROR) carriers and proposed to...Learn More

When it comes to federal rural broadband funding, FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly wants to make sure the left hand knows what the right hand is doing. Now that Congress has allocated $600 million in new funding to the Rural Utilities Service for a RUS rural...Learn More

Ohio could be the next state to implement a broadband grant program if a bill that passed the state House of Representatives this week becomes law. The proposed Ohio broadband grants would total up to $50 million annually to cover some of the costs of...Learn More

Just two weeks after the FCC released a proposal aimed at preventing small rural carriers from using equipment from certain manufacturers due to security concerns, one rural service provider association is pushing back. The FCC rural equipment ban would “irreparably damage” rural broadband networks, said...Learn More

More than 20 school districts have selected Zayo for E-Rate solutions during the first calendar quarter of 2018, the company announced. The contracts will approximately double Zayo E-Rate recurring revenue in comparison with the contracts awarded last year. The contracts include a range of dark...Learn More

SpaceX has received FCC approval to offer lower-latency satellite broadband service in the U.S. SpaceX FCC approval paves the way for the company to provide broadband service in remote areas lacking equivalent terrestrial-based offerings. SpaceX, founded by entrepreneur Elon Musk, is best known for rocket...Learn More

The FCC is considering prohibiting network operators receiving Universal Service Fund (USF) support from using equipment from companies deemed to pose a national security threat. The commission is seeking feedback on how prohibited USF equipment would be identified, said senior FCC officials on a call...Learn More

The FCC released an order adopted last week detailing plans to make an additional $540 million available to rural telecom providers to help cover the costs of deploying broadband to areas that are costly to serve and where minimum-speed broadband is not available. The FCC...Learn More

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai today urged small cable companies to bid for funding in the upcoming Connect America Fund (CAF) auction, scheduled to start in July. The CAF II Auction will award as much as $2 billion over 10 years to cover some of the...Learn More

The FCC said today that it has begun accepting applications for the Connect America Fund Phase II reverse auction. Interested parties will have until March 30 to submit Connect America Fund auction applications. The auction will start on July 24 and will make as much...Learn More

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai proposed to direct approximately $954 million toward restoring and expanding communications networks in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico broadband networks were all but destroyed during the 2017 hurricane season and for the most part have...Learn More

The White House today released some additional details about President Trump’s proposal to make $50 billion available for rural infrastructure investment – and in theory, at least, as much as $40 billion of that money could go to rural broadband. Trump rural broadband plans first...Learn More