August 1, 2014 - FCC Launches Rural Broadband Experiments Program
This week, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released the details for a newly established $100 million Rural Broadband Experiments (RBE) program. Eligible telecommunication services providers will compete for broadband infrastructure development funding in one of three categories that have been broadly identified as “high-cost” investment regions throughout much of the country’s rural and remote areas. The first “experiment” aims to test the bidding process on a small scale while building out rural broadband networks, which will provide the FCC an opportunity to evaluate the interest and ability to build higher performance networks in areas that are considered un-served and underserved in terms of access and network connection speeds. The RBE program is largely considered to be the precursor to a much larger, potentially multi-billion dollar broadband infrastructure expansion effort to happen next year as part of the Obama Administration’s Connect America initiative. Applications are due by Tuesday, October 14, 2014. Additional information on the RBE program can be accessed here. RCRC has received several letters from a variety of telecommunication service providers from across the state expressing interest to expand rural broadband infrastructure throughout various communities within RCRC member counties.
House Agriculture Subcommittee Hearing on Rural Broadband Expansion
On Tuesday, the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock, Rural Development, and Credit conducted a hearing to examine the hurdles to expanding broadband services throughout the country’s rural and remote areas. The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) testified that only 23 percent of rural residents have wireline broadband at a speed of 50 Mbps, compared to 98 percent of urban residents. The NRECA pointed to the National Broadband Map and anecdotal evidence that even 50 Mbps is extremely rare in rural America. Additional comments were made regarding rural America’s interest the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) Connect America Fund and E-rate programs. The FCC also recently launched the Rural Broadband Experiments program, the findings of which will help them better determine the challenges of expanding rural broadband access. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utility Service (RUS) also testified at the hearing. RUS’s current loan portfolio consists of nearly $4.6 billion in funds designed to help deliver affordable and reliable advanced telecommunications services to rural communities.
