Media Contact: 
Mark Wigfield, (202) 418-0253
mark.wigfield@fcc.gov
For Immediate Release
Windstream Communications Accepts Nearly $175 Million in Annual Support from 
Connect America Fund to Expand and Support Broadband for Over 800,000 Rural 
Americans
Washington, D.C. (Aug. 5, 2015) – Windstream Communications Inc. has accepted $174,895,478 
in annual, ongoing support from the Connect America Fund to expand and support broadband for
over 800,000 of its rural customers in 17 states.
The Connect America Fund support will enable Windstream to deliver broadband at speeds of at 
least 10 Mbps for downloads and 1 Mbps uploads to over 404,000 homes and businesses in its 
rural service areas nationwide where the cost of broadband deployment might otherwise be 
prohibitive.
“Windstream’s decision to accept support from the Connect America Fund will greatly benefit its 
rural customers by expanding robust broadband in their communities,” said FCC Chairman Tom 
Wheeler. “The Connect America Fund is delivering on its promise of ensuring that all Americans 
have access to the opportunities provided by modern broadband service, no matter where they 
live.”
Below is a state-by-state list of the amount of annual support provided and number of homes and 
businesses served:
CAFII - Final Adopted Model 
for Offer of Model - Based 
Support to Price Cap Carriers 
- CAM 4.3
Homes and Businesses 
Supported Support Amount by State
Windstream Total                              404,625 $                 174,895,478 
AL                                 1,889 $                       511,038 
AR                               32,312 $                  13,163,783 
FL                               17,891 $                    5,236,626 
GA                               64,721 $                  24,867,807 
IA                               44,930 $                  28,672,554 
KY                               62,070 $                  21,576,987 
MN                                 4,440 $                    1,519,855 
MO                               27,509 $                  14,187,910 
MS                                 2,760 $                       917,403 
NC                                 6,988 $                    1,952,082 
NE                               21,560 $                  13,591,437 
NY                                 5,210 $                    1,557,976 
OH                               13,073 $                    4,154,270 
OK                               16,741 $                    7,788,213 
PA                               34,807 $                  13,001,364 
SC                                 3,144 $                       935,383 
TX                               44,580 $                  21,260,790 
Like telephone service in the 20
th
Century, broadband has become essential to life in the 21
st
Century. But, according to the FCC’s latest Broadband Progress Report, nearly one in three rural 
Americans lack access to 10/1 broadband, compared to only one in 100 urban Americans. The 
Connect America Fund is designed to close that rural-urban digital divide.  
The FCC’s traditional universal service program succeeded in ensuring telephone network 
coverage in rural America by providing subsidies where the cost of service would otherwise be 
prohibitive. In late 2011, the FCC modernized the program to support networks capable of 
providing broadband and voice services, and created the Connect America Fund to efficiently and 
effectively administer that support to expand broadband in rural areas where market forces alone 
can’t support expansion. 
Since then, Phase I of Connect America has provided $438 million, including over $87.3 million 
to Windstream, to expand broadband to nearly 1.7 million people in over 637,000 rural homes 
and businesses in 45 states and Puerto Rico, Over the next six years, Phase II of Connect America 
will provide more than $10 billion to expand broadband-capable networks throughout rural 
America nationwide, all without increasing the cost of the program to ratepayers.
In addition to Windstream, Frontier Communications Inc. has also accepted Phase II funding, 
which will expand service to 1.3 million Frontier customers in 28 states. Overall, the FCC’s 
Universal Service Fund allocates $4.5 billion annually through various universal service 
programs for high-cost areas to support voice- and broadband-capable networks in rural America.
Carriers receiving Connect America Fund support must build out broadband to 40% of funded 
locations by the end 2017, 60% by end of 2018, and 100% by the end of 2020.
###