The FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) has released and is seeking comment on an updated list of census blocks eligible for Connect America Fund (CAF) Phase II support in states where price cap carriers accepted model-based CAF Phase II offers. Based on comments submitted to the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC), the Bureau will determine to include updated census blocks in the CAF Phase II auction. The updated census blocks fall into three categories:
- Accepted Price Cap Offer Updates and Corrections. The Bureau identifies updates and corrections to census blocks that were originally included in the CAF Phase II offer list but which none of the price cap carriers claim are in any of their service territories. These blocks may be included in the CAF Phase II auction unless they are identified as within a rate-of-return carrier study area boundary, reclaimed by a price cap carrier, or identified by a state commission as within a carrier’s service territory according to that commission’s records.
- Extremely High-Cost Census Blocks. The Bureau also identifies extremely high-cost blocks in states where price cap carriers accepted the offers of Phase II support. The Bureau requires price cap carriers that intend to meet their obligation to serve a specific number of locations in a state by providing service to extremely high-cost locations in adjacent eligible census blocks to identify those specific blocks.
- Rate-of-Return Area Blocks. The Bureau asks rate-of-return carriers to identify census blocks where they do not anticipate being able to extend broadband using the FCC’s reasonable request standard. Such blocks will be included in the CAF Phase II auction.
Comments responsive to each the above-listed categories should be submitted to USAC via email to hcinfo@usac.org by July 7, 2017.
