Media Contact: Mark Wigfield, (202) 418-0253 mark.wigfield@fcc.gov For Immediate Release FCC AUTHORIZES $4.9 BILLION OVER 10 YEARS FOR RURAL BROADBAND Another Important Step Toward Closing the Digital Divide -- WASHINGTON, August 22, 2019—Taking further steps to close the digital divide, the Federal Communications Commission today authorized over $4.9 billion in support over the next decade for maintaining, improving, and expanding affordable rural broadband for 455,334 homes and businesses served by 171 carriers in 39 states and American Samoa, including 44,243 locations on Tribal lands. The support is targeted to smaller rural carriers, traditionally known as “rate-of-return” carriers. These carriers agreed this year to accept subsidies based on the FCC’s Alternative Connect America Cost Model, or A-CAM, which provides predictability, rewards efficiency, and provides more value for each taxpayer dollar. The homes and businesses are located in sparsely populated rural areas where the per-location price of deployment and ongoing costs of providing broadband service are high, requiring support from the FCC’s Universal Service Fund to facilitate network improvements and keep rates reasonably comparable to those in urban areas. In return for the support that is being approved today, carriers must maintain, improve, and expand broadband throughout their service areas, including providing service of at least 25 Megabits per second downstream and 3 Mbps upstream to over 363,000 locations, including more than 37,000 locations on Tribal lands. Providers will be held accountable through an enforceable schedule for delivering improved and expanded service, with the first interim deployment obligation occurring in 2022. “Our action today will help close the digital divide and is a win-win for rural Americans and taxpayers,” said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. “Carriers get the predictable support they need to deliver broadband to their customers in these high-cost rural areas. And taxpayers, who fund this support through a fee on their phone bills, are getting more bang for their buck.” The following is a list of states where companies will receive support, with 10-year support amounts and the number of homes and businesses supported (locations): State Support/10 Years Locations Alabama $19,825,294 2,595 Arkansas $62,214,235 6,888 American Samoa $14,469,062 4,299 Arizona $160,088,333 13,484 California $13,223,026 1,370 Colorado $179,586,635 12,764 Florida $5,655,003 1,025 Georgia $49,280,605 10,182 Iowa $460,719,134 38,609 Idaho $49,972,977 4,914 Illinois $116,625,196 8,640 Kansas $191,194,499 14,395 Louisiana $29,102,935 5,111 Maine $29,859,618 5,700 Michigan $62,810,523 10,002 Minnesota $569,183,965 55,520 Missouri $246,463,936 25,232 Mississippi $7,156,222 1,644 Montana $160,160,797 14,048 North Carolina $68,079 36 North Dakota $590,652,649 41,578 Nebraska $124,459,058 9,133 New Hampshire $323,936 157 New Mexico $13,606,063 1,319 Nevada $5,400,558 675 New York $8,208,810 1,137 Ohio $8,972,161 1,404 Oklahoma $102,292,229 10,559 Oregon $67,639,694 4,689 Pennsylvania $3,097,897 696 South Dakota $705,494,791 55,089 Tennessee $43,286,914 10,883 Texas $305,458,058 23,424 Utah $71,858,677 6,884 Virginia $22,940,420 5,096 Vermont $13,651,766 3,620 Washington $13,934,600 2,037 Wisconsin $163,137,873 21,080 West Virginia $50,405,479 5,531 Wyoming $171,945,431 13,885 Total $4,914,427,137 455,334 ### Media Relations: (202) 418-0500 / ASL: (844) 432-2275 / TTY: (888) 835-5322 / Twitter: @FCC / www.fcc.gov This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action. Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action. See MCI v. FCC, 515 F.2d 385 (D.C. Cir. 1974).