Federal Communications Commission	DA 20-1345


DA 20-1345
Released:  November 13, 2020

WIRELINE COMPETITION BUREAU TO AUTHORIZE AN ADDITIONAL COMPANY TO RECEIVE ALTERNATIVE CONNECT AMERICA COST MODEL II SUPPORT TO EXPAND RURAL BROADBAND AND RELEASES A REVISED AUTHORIZATION REPORT
WC Docket No. 10-90

	Consistent with the Commission’s Public Notice granting a Section 214 authorization and study area boundary waiver in relation to the sale of certain assets by 3 Rivers Telephone Cooperative, Inc. to Siyeh Communications (SiyCom), the Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) authorizes, subject to designation as an eligible telecommunications carrier, SiyCom to receive Alternative Connect America Cost Model (A-CAM) II model-based support. Application Granted for the Acquisition of Certain Assets of 3 Rivers Telephone Cooperative, Inc. by Siyeh Communications, WC Docket No. 20-85, Joint Petition Granted for Waiver of the Definition of Study Area with Respect to the Transfer of the Browning, Montana Exchange, CC Docket No. 96-45; WC Docket No. 10-90, Public Notice, DA 20-1347 (WCB rel. Nov. 13, 2020) (3 Rivers/SiyCom PN).  See also Connect America Fund; ETC Annual Reports and Certifications; Establishing Just and Reasonable Rates for Local Exchange Carriers; Developing a Unified Intercarrier Compensation Regime; WC Docket Nos. 10-90, 14-58, and 07-135, CC Docket No. 01-92; Report and Order, Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, and Order on Reconsideration, 33 FCC Rcd 11893, 11898-11903, paras. 14-30 (2018) (December 2018 Rate-of-Return Reform Order). 
  Authorization Report 6.1, released today, shows the authorization amount and deployment obligations of SiyCom, and all other carriers receiving A-CAM II support. The report is available at https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-368027A1.xlsx (Authorization Report 6.1).  Other than the addition of SiyCom, there are no changes to support amounts or deployment obligations from Authorization Report 6.0.   
  SiyCom’s authorization provides support for an eight-year period beginning January 1, 2021.
The Bureau authorizes and directs the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) to obligate and disburse SiyCom’s annual support amounts over an 8-year term, from January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2028.  The A-CAM II support authorized for SiyCom totals $1,551,375 per year and $12,411,000 over the full 8-year term.  
SiyCom is subject to defined deployment obligations that must be met over the 8-year period, with annual reporting of its progress. See 47 CFR §§ 54.311(d), 54.320(d).  Because SiyCom will be beginning its model deployment two years into the support term, the Bureau found good cause to waive the interim milestone for SiyCom to complete 40% of its required 25/3 Mbps deployments by the end of year 4 (2022).   Therefore, the first milestone SiyCom will be required to meet will be to have deployed broadband of 25/3 Mbps to a number of locations equal to 50% of its fully funded locations by the end of 2023.  3 Rivers/SiyCom PN at 4 n.24.  We note that nearly all of SiyCom’s locations are Tribal, and SiyCom is subject to A-CAM II obligations to deploy to Tribal lands.
  SiyCom is required to report new broadband deployment for 2021 by March 1, 2022. SiyCom is encouraged to report deployment on a rolling basis prior to that date.  See Connect America Fund et al., WC Docket No. 10-90 et al., Report and Order, Order and Order on Reconsideration, and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 31 FCC Rcd 3087, 3164-65, para. 211 (2016).  However, all carriers must report any deployment made in the prior calendar year to the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) or certify that no deployment has been done through the High-Cost Universal Broadband Portal (HUBB).
  Pursuant to A-CAM II, any locations in eligible census blocks that already have broadband meeting the Commission’s minimum standards may be reported to satisfy the carrier’s deployment obligations.  SiyCom has until March 1, 2022 to report locations to which it deployed qualifying broadband prior to 2021.  It is not required to wait until 2022 to report, however, and is encouraged to report existing broadband deployment as soon as it is able to do so.
For additional information on this proceeding, contact Ted Burmeister (Theodore.Burmeister@fcc.gov) of the Wireline Competition Bureau, Telecommunications Access Policy Division, (202) 418-7400.
- FCC –




2