The FCC must ensure that any future Connect America Fund...
The FCC must ensure that any future Connect America Fund Phase I support be used to meet the “original intent” of the funding mechanism, which was to bring broadband to unserved areas, NCTA told several FCC Wireline Bureau officials Thursday,…
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an ex parte filing said (http://bit.ly/ZRt6UN). The commission shouldn’t change the Phase I focus to let ILECs upgrade existing DSL service, or overbuild unsubsidized providers by awarding funding for second-mile fiber, NCTA said. NCTA urged the commission to enforce the requirement that ILECs use one-third of their frozen high-cost support to areas that are substantially unserved by an unsubsidized competitor. The FCC should reject ILEC requests to “repurpose” such support if they don’t have any such unserved areas, NCTA said. “This legacy money does not belong to the incumbent LECs to use where they see fit.” NCTA asked for the commission to provide information about the disbursement of USF high-cost funds “in a more transparent and open manner by making such information readily and easily accessible” on the FCC website.