Rural Digital Opportunity Fund

The industry and the press have been laser-focused on Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment grants for the last few years. It’s easy to forget that there are a lot of federal broadband grants that have been issued under other grant programs, many of which are facing completion deadlines.

Spectrum announced the expansion of its fiber broadband network to bring Spectrum Internet to more than 4,500 additional homes and businesses in previously unserved or underserved areas of Vilas and Oneida counties (WI), including Newbold, Sugar Camp, Three Lakes, Phelps, Conover, and Manitowish Waters. This project was supported, in part, through $2,619,798 of funds from the State of Wisconsin, acting by and through the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin.

Midwest Data Center is a Rural Digital Opportunity Fund winner that was required to serve 40% of its 1,410 awarded locations by December 31, 2025. Midwest did not meet such milestone. Midwest previously submitted a Petition for Waiver of 40% Deployment Milestone Until June 30, 2026 on November 11, 2025. The Petition for Waiver explained that delays in the US Department of Agriculture ReConnect program were causing delays in Midwest’s planned infrastructure deployment.

Thirty years ago, in the Telecommunications Act of 1996, Congress reaffirmed a national commitment first articulated in 1934: communications services should be available to all Americans, without discrimination, and at just and reasonable rates. Lawmakers also recognized that universal service could no longer mean just plain old telephone service. In an emerging digital economy, the promise had to extend to what they called “advanced communications,” and we now popularly call internet access and broadband.

The Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) submitted the federal Universal Service Support Mechanisms fund size and administrative cost projections for the second quarter of calendar year 2026 (2Q2026). USAC projects a consolidated budget of $65.67 million for 2Q2026.  Direct costs for all support mechanisms total $33.88 million.

Four States Fiber notified the Federal Communications Commission of its decision to partially default on certain Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF)-funded Census Block Groups (CBGs) in Arkansas and Louisiana. Four States Fiber has faced multiple setbacks, which led the company to make the difficult decision to partially default on its RDOF obligations in Arkansas and Louisiana. Four States Fiber understands that by defaulting on the CBGs, it will no longer be entitled to receive further RDOF funding in these CBGs and that it may be subject to the FCC’s applicable non-compliance rules.

GigaBeam Networks notified the Federal Communications Commission that it does not believe it can meet its third-year 40 percent deployment milestone for its Rural Digital Opportunity Fund obligations in West Virginia (Study Area Code 209042). GigaBeam believes it has deployed service to approximately 23 percent of broadband serviceable locations in the SAC as of December 31, 2025.

Texoma Communications notified the Federal Communications Commission that it did not meet the December 31, 2025, interim milestone for its Texas Rural Digital Opportunity Fund deployment (Study Area Code 449099). Texoma was required to have deployed service to 40 percent of the locations in the Study Area Code by December 31, 2025. When Texoma began planning and engineering for participating in the RDOF Auction, it had assurances from banks and private investors that it would be able to borrow the money to pair with its RDOF award to meet its obligation.

Brightspeed acquired Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) obligations and support in nine states on October 3, 2022, as part of the acquisition of Lumen Technologies' incumbent local exchange carrier subsidiaries in twenty states. Brightspeed committed to fulfilling those obligations in connection with the Wireline Competition Bureau’s approval of the transfer of control.

Conexon Connect submits its 4Q 2025 Compliance Report associated with the gap in meeting its December 31, 2024, Rural Digital Opportunity Fund 40 percent interim milestone obligation for Study Area Code 459032 (Arizona). Pursuant to the Universal Service Administrative Company’s November 21, 2025, email to the Company, this letter addresses the Company’s efforts to close the Compliance Gap and explains how the Company will come into compliance. Because the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment and RDOF award areas are inextricably connected and include BEAD locations that are often on th