FCC Seeks Comment on Waiver Petitions of Provisionally Selected Rural Broadband Experiments

On December 5, 2014, the Federal Communications Commission’s Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) released a list of 37 entities provisionally selected as winning bidders for rural broadband experiments support. As part of the process to be authorized to receive such Connect America Fund support, these entities were required to submit certain technical and financial information by Friday, December 19.

A number of entities have indicated they no longer wish to be considered for an award of funding in the experiments or failed to submit the required information by the deadline, and therefore have defaulted on their bids. In addition, some entities have sought a waiver of the requirement to submit three years of audited financial statements and provided alternative evidence in an attempt to demonstrate their financial qualifications to receive rural broadband experiments support. Now, the Bureau announces which provisionally selected bidders have defaulted on projects and seeks comment on the petitions for waiver filed by 15 provisionally selected bidders. $651,832.15 of support in category one and $64,600 in category two is now available for next-in-line bidders.

[Dec 23]