A Milestone in Expanding Broadband to Rural America

On Aug 27, the Federal Communications Commission reached a major milestone in its mission to connect rural America to robust broadband. Aug 27 was the deadline for some of the nation's largest phone companies to decide whether to accept "Phase II" funds from the FCC's Connect America Fund to expand broadband to their rural customers. All told, ten carriers accepted over $1.5 billion in annual support to provide broadband to nearly 7.3 million consumers in 45 states and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

In exchange for receiving funding for all eligible areas that they serve in a given state, these providers have committed to expanding and maintaining broadband service with defined milestones and obligations over a six-year period. This is great news for these rural communities, where broadband can spark economic development, support education, and provide residents with access to the news, information and cutting-edge Internet applications that are a fact of life in most other parts of the country. The funding that will flow to these areas will go a long way toward closing the digital divide isolating rural America. And it builds on past FCC decisions that used "Phase I" Connect America funding to expand broadband to over 637,000 homes and businesses.