ADTRAN announced its fully-managed, cloud-based performance test solution for network operators that utilize the Connect America Fund (CAF) program and who will be required to submit testing results as part of their annual compliance in the first quarter of 2020.
To help ensure that the funds allocated are used for broadband service delivery in rural areas, the FCC has adopted Performance Monitoring and Measurement requirements to ensure greater accountability for recipients of Connect America Fund (CAF) high-cost universal service support, including price cap carriers, rate-of-return carriers, rural broadband experiment (RBE) support recipients, Alaska Plan carriers, and CAF Phase II auction winners.
The new service is an expansion of the ADTRAN CAF performance testing solution announced earlier this year. Since February, more than 30 CAF recipients have chosen ADTRAN’s network performance testing solution to comply with FCC reporting requirements.
ADTRAN said its managed testing solution takes care of each aspect of FCC compliance from initiating the test to collecting data to report creation and submission to the FCC in the format needed. It removes the administration burden related to CAF test compliance and utilizes the ADTRAN Speed Test Server Network as a cloud-based, managed service. The solution includes the SmartRG Device Manager Software to serve as the test controller and the SmartRG Gateways as the test clients and is available across the entire SmartRG portfolio of gateways.
“We developed this one-stop, fully-managed subscription service to give our customers peace-of-mind by offering a turnkey option that off-loads the entire testing process, so they can focus on what they do best—providing a superior subscriber experience,” ADTRAN Services Portfolio Manager Derek Foster said. “We know there is still some uncertainty with the FCC, which causes concern for our customers and that’s why we developed a simple and affordable compliance service.”
