FCC Approves $800 Million More in Broadband Aid

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Rural Digital Opportunity Fund subsidies top $6 billion

Jessica Rosenworcel at FCC confirmation hearing
FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel (Image credit: U.S. Senate)

The broadband subsidy bucks continue to flow out of Washington.

The Federal Communications Commission has authorized almost $800 million dollars more in rural subsidies from its Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) to six broadband providers reaching some 350,000 locations in 19 states, with the most money going to Illinois ($212 million), Arizona ($140 million) and Iowa ($113 million), the regulator said.

In its 2020 RDOF auction, the FCC allocated $20 billion for 1) rural broadband buildouts ($16 billion) and 2) unserved areas ($4 billion) over the next 10 years, money that can go to cable broadband providers as well as telecoms.

Also: FCC Proposes Millions in RDOF Default Fines

So far, the RDOF program has handed out more than $6 billion in funds to 47 states.

“This funding will connect more households throughout the country with high-speed broadband as part of our ongoing work to close the digital divide,” said FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel, who has made closing the digital divide a signature issue since she was a commissioner. “We are confident these projects can bring quality service to currently unserved areas.” ▪️

John Eggerton
John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.