The FCC’s Wireline Competition Bureau (WCB) has announced that certain census block groups (CBG), which were limited to exclusive support from the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) are now eligible for other funding programs. The RDOF program promotes the efficient use of funding by making CBGs ineligible for alternative programs when a service provider indicates it will not fulfill its commitments. The WCB has announced the default of Mercury Wireless Indiana on CBGs in Indiana and Michigan; the default of Mercury Wireless Kansas on CBGs in Illinois, Kansas, and Missouri; the partial default of PVT NetWorks, Inc. on CBGs in New Mexico; the default of Cable One VOIP LLC d/b/a Sparklight on CBGs in Idaho; and the default of Fidelity Cablevision LLC on CBGs in Missouri.
The carriers will be subject to penalties for their defaults and the Bureau has specifically referred the defaults of Mercury Wireless Indiana and Mercury Wireless Kansas to the Enforcement Bureau for further consideration.
