The Fiber Broadband Association is asking members to urge their congressional representatives to sign a letter to the FCC regarding the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF). In December, the Commission awarded over $9 billion in a reverse auction with 85 percent of the winning bids in the Gigabit tier.
“Many have raised concerns regarding the proposed technology and the ability of the potential network designs to deliver the promised performance,” said FBA President/CEO Gary Bolton in a member note. The draft letter is being circulated by Representatives Jim Clyburn (D-SC) and Tim Walberg (R-MI) and Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and John Thune (R-SD). In it, they and several other members of Congress urge the FCC to thoroughly vet the winning bidders to ensure that they’re capable of deploying and delivering the services they committed to providing.
“As responsible stewards of USF funds, we ask that the FCC redouble its efforts to review the long-form applications that will now be submitted,” state 25 Senators and 57 Representatives. “We urge the FCC to validate that each provider in fact has the technical, financial, managerial, operational skills, capabilities, and resources to deliver the services that they have pledged for every American they plan to serve regardless of the technology they use. We also strongly encourage the FCC to make as public as possible the status of its review and consider opportunities for public input on the applications.”
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