PCCA Journal 1st Quarter 2014 - page 35

PCCA Journal|1
st
Quarter 2014
35
TELECOM NEWS
FCC Provides
Connect America Fund Update
T
he Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) on December 5 said that more than
$255 million from its Connect America Fund
(CAF) has been authorized to provide new
broadband access to more than 400,000 homes
and businesses in rural areas of 41 states, connecting nearly 1
million people who lack service.
Five carriers—AT&T, CenturyLink, Fairpoint Communica-
tions, Frontier Communications, and Windstream Corp—will
use the funds in rural portions of their service areas where,
absent support from the CAF, broadband expansion was un-
likely, the FCC said. Verizon decided not to participate in the
program.
The CAF is part of the FCC’s initiative to bring broadband
access to rural communities. The commission said that the
funds authorized on December 5 represent a jump-start to
bring broadband to these areas. It brings the total authorized
from the first phase of the CAF to nearly $403 million.
“Access to modern broadband networks is essential in the
information age,” said FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler. “Yet 15
million Americans live in areas where they can’t get wireline
broadband no matter how much they want it.”
In August, the five carriers identified 563,767 locations
where they wanted to use Connect America funds to reach
customers unserved by broadband. The eligibility of some of
those locations was challenged. This recent action authorizes
funding for 393,409 locations that were not subject to a chal-
lenge.
The authorizations are as follows (State, Total Locations,
Total Funding):
Continued on page 36
State
Total Locations
Total Funding
Alabama
37,591
$27,723,400
Arkansas
19,668
$11,980,425
Arizona
18,531
$11,637,000
California
740
$442,100
Colorado
8,271
$4,731,300
Florida
8,641
$5,623,525
Georgia
28,575
$16,854,525
Iowa
5,967
$3,443,175
Idaho
1,461
$841,575
Illinois
2,571
$1,600,350
Indiana
6,082
$3,670,000
Kansas
346
$214,825
Kentucky
6,994
$4,668,175
Louisiana
11,072
$8,087,150
Maine
1,420
$861,550
Michigan
3,746
$2,169,875
Minnesota
5,614
$3,391,900
Missouri
12,641
$8,033,450
Mississippi
21,486
$16,170,825
Montana
1,551
$1,075,575
North Carolina
13,028
$8,310,425
State
Total Locations
Total Funding
Nebraska
531
$346,725
New Hampshire
1,254
$725,700
New Jersey
11
$6,050
New Mexico
8,227
$4,906,900
Nevada
902
$502,850
New York
15,733
$8,960,500
Ohio
7,175
$4,393,775
Oklahoma
3,889
$2,490,625
Oregon
5,134
$3,007,975
Pennsylvania
4,714
$2,673,250
South Carolina
10,401
$7,639,125
South Dakota
40
$22,000
Tennessee
34,485
$26,243,700
Texas
25,143
$16,107,225
Utah
360
$207,900
Virginia
4,715
$2,765,600
Washington
4,165
$2,529,250
Wisconsin
14,143
$8,295,925
West Virginia
36,339
$22,333,425
Wyoming
52
$34,225
Total
393,409
$255,723,850
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