The FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau and the Office of Economics and Analytics have announced the 2021 reasonable comparability benchmarks for fixed voice and broadband services for certain eligible telecommunications carriers (ETCs). These benchmarks are applicable to ILECs, price-cap carrier recipients of model-based Connect America Fund (CAF) Phase II support, Rural Broadband Experiment providers, and CAF Phase II Auction (Auction 903) and Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) auction (Auction 904) winners, except in Alaska. Alaska Plan carriers must meet Alaska-specific benchmarks. Also announced is the required minimum usage allowance for ETCs subject to public interest obligations for fixed broadband. The fixed voice and broadband services data collected in the most recent urban rate survey are available on the FCC’s website at http://www.fcc.gov/encyclopedia/urban-rate-survey-data.
