FCC Receives Over 180 RDOF Eligible Area Challenges, Including Some Big Ones from WISPs

The Federal Communications Commission has received challenges from about 180 entities that have stated that they provide broadband at speeds of at least 25 Mbps downstream and 3 Mbps upstream, along with voice service, to at least part of census blocks that were on the commission’s preliminary list of areas eligible for the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) reverse auction scheduled to start in Oct. According to data compiled by broadband engineering and consulting firm Cooperative Network Services LLC, 10 entities, primarily wireless internet service providers (WISPs), have each submitted challenges for 10,000 census blocks or more. Eight of the top 10 RDOF eligible area challenges came from WISPs. The remaining two were from broadband providers that primarily use wireline infrastructure — Frontier and Consolidated Telecommunications.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the FCC has not delayed the RDOF auction start date – not yet at least. In light of all the RDOF eligible area challenges, a delay would now seem likely.