The FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) has announced that all eligible price cap carriers currently receiving model-based Connect America Fund Phase II support elected to receive an additional, seventh year of support, which was adopted in the FCC’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) Order. The Bureau has now authorized the Universal Service Administrative Company to begin disbursements of that support beginning in January 2021. In exchange for the seventh year of support, price cap carrier recipients will be required to continue providing broadband with reasonably comparable performance characteristics as terrestrial fixed broadband service in urban America.
