The second round of funding from the FCC’s Connect America Fund will provide broadband access to an estimated 600,000 homes and small businesses.
The FCC announced that Service Providers in 44 states and Puerto Rico requested over $385 million from the Fund. These funds are to be matched with hundreds of millions of their own dollars. Deployment must be completed within three years.
The FCC estimates that about 15 million U.S. residents, mostly rural, currently lack access to broadband and the opportunities it
provides.
“Broadband is no longer a luxury but is essential in today’s society to finding a job, getting an education, receiving quality health care, and staying connected with family and community,” said Acting FCC Chairwoman Mignon Clyburn. “This second round of support from the Connect America Fund will leverage private investment and connect hundreds of thousands of rural consumers and businesses to the robust broadband that other communities have long taken for granted. I’m delighted that requests for support in this round have exceeded our expectations, putting us that much closer to the day when all Americans have access to broadband.”
- In July 2012, the first phase of the FCC’s “Connect America Fund” kicked off with about $115 million in public funding being allocated to bring broadband to nearly 400,000 residents and small business owners in 37 states.Many projects are now receiving funding and are expected to begin immediately/ All projects must be completed within three years.The FCC estimates that nearly 19 million residents currently lack access to broadband.