Federal Communications Commissioner Mike O’Rielly has written a letter to Christopher McLean, Acting Administrator of the Rural Utilities Service, regarding the RUS Broadband e-Connectivity Pilot Program. RUS has sought comment on identifying rural areas eligible for funding, and specifically, how to evaluate whether an area already has “sufficient access” to broadband, and how to verify broadband availability data in a proposed service area.
O’Rielly urged RUS to: (1) focus on truly unserved populations in defining “sufficient access;” (2) prevent funding recipients from cherry-picking locations; and (3) exclude areas funded by other agencies.
