Federal Communications Commission	DA 20-839


DA 20-839
Released:  August 6, 2020

WIRELINE COMPETITION BUREAU RELEASES UPDATED LIST OF RESERVE PRICES AND LOCATION COUNTS FOR THE UNIENDO A PUERTO RICO FUND AND CONNECT USVI FUND STAGE 2 FIXED SUPPORT COMPETITIVE PROPOSAL PROCESS

WC Docket Nos. 18-143, 10-90

Today, as directed by the Commission and concurrent with the Order on Reconsideration and Order released by the Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau), we release an updated list of the eligible minimum geographic areas and associated annual reserve prices, and location counts for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands for Stage 2 fixed support. The Uniendo a Puerto Rico Fund and the Connect USVI Fund,  WC Docket Nos. 18-143, 10-90, 14-58, Order on Reconsideration and Order, DA 20-838 (WCB rel. Aug. 6, 2020) (PR-USVI Reconsideration Order); see also The Uniendo a Puerto Rico Fund and the Connect USVI Fund, Order, 34 FCC Rcd 9109, 9119, 9143, paras. 18, 61 (2019) (PR-USVI Stage 2 Order).
  The list can be found at https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-20-839A2.xlsx.  We provide this updated list based on 2018 housing data for the Territories and to give applicants an opportunity to conduct due diligence in advance of preparing applications. PR-USVI Stage 2 Order, 34 FCC Rcd at 9118, 9145, 9153, paras. 17 & n.51, 65, 83.

In the PR-USVI Stage 2 Order, the Commission allocated budgets of $504.7 million in Stage 2 fixed support to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and $186.5 million in Stage 2 fixed support to the U.S. Virgin Islands over a 10-year period. Id. at 9146, 9148, paras. 67, 70.
  
As directed by the Commission, and consistent with the Order on Reconsideration, the Bureau re-calculates the reserve prices based on the three-step process explained in the PR-USVI Stage 2 Order. Id. at 9112, para. 18.
  Specifically, first, we employ the Connect America Model to calculate the average cost per location for all locations in a census block.  Second, we apply the full budgets for Puerto Rico and for the U.S. Virgin Islands, creating territory-specific high-cost thresholds to ensure the full amount of the budget for each territory over the 10-year period is available for disbursement.  Accordingly, today we establish a high-cost threshold of $28.58 per-location per-month for Puerto Rico and $23.34 per-location per-month for the U.S. Virgin Islands.  Third, we establish a reserve price for each geographic area in proportion to the support amounts calculated for each census block within that area.  The location counts within each minimum geographic area have been revised based on the most recent publicly available Census Bureau data for the Territories. Id. at 9143, para. 61; PR-USVI Reconsideration Order at para. 10.

	For additional information on this proceeding, contact Dangkhoa Nguyen (Dangkhoa.Nguyen@fcc.gov) of the Wireline Competition Bureau, Telecommunications Access Policy Division.
– FCC –


2