Blackfoot Seeks RDOF Waiver

In a letter to the Federal Communications Commission, Blackfoot Communications sought a limited waiver of the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund’s (RDOF) forfeiture and default penalty rules in light of the FCC's Public Notice providing guidance for RDOF recipients on procedures for provider defaults and Blackfoot's decision not to pursue RDOF support for certain census block groups (CBGs) for which Blackfoot was the winning bidder. On May 13, 2025, Blackfoot notified the Commission of its intent to surrender three CBGs, identified in an attachment to that filing, that were assigned to Blackfoot in the RDOF Auction. These CBGs contain 688 locations as calculated by the Connect America Cost Model. Subsequently, the Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) released a Public Notice announcing that the funded census blocks associated with the three CBGs (Relinquished Census Blocks) are eligible for other funding programs.