Media Contact: Tina Pelkey, (202) 418-0536 tina.pelkey@fcc.gov For Immediate Release FCC ESTIMATES SIX MILLION RURAL HOMES AND BUSINESSES COULD BENEFIT FROM THE RURAL DIGITAL OPPORTUNITY FUND Preliminary List Shows Number of Locations Eligible for Bidding in Each State for High-Speed Broadband Through Phase I of the $20.4 Billion Fund WASHINGTON, January 14, 2020—Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai announced initial estimates of how many homes and businesses in each state could benefit from Phase I of the $20.4 billion Rural Digital Opportunity Fund. In total, about 6 million rural homes and businesses could be eligible for bidding in an auction slated for later this year to receive funding for high-speed broadband. This state-by-state list is for Phase I funding, which would target a total of $16 billion to census blocks with no broadband service at all meeting the Commission’s minimum speed standards. The remainder of the funding would be disbursed during Phase II. As recently announced, the FCC will vote January 30 on launching the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund. “The digital divide affects many people in many rural communities. I’ve said that the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund would be our boldest step yet to bridge this divide, and today we get a glimpse of the broad impact this investment in rural America would have across the country,” said Chairman Pai. “Our staff’s initial estimate shows that in 25 states there would be more than 100,000 locations that would be eligible for Phase I of the Fund, and the benefits would be felt from the Pacific Coast to the Great Plains, and from Appalachia to the Gulf Coast. The Rural Digital Opportunity Fund is critical to bridging the digital divide. I hope that my colleagues will join me in voting for it on January 30.” The preliminary state-by-state list is below.* State Bid-Eligible Locations State Bid-Eligible Locations Alabama 211,000 Montana 50,000 Arizona 147,000 Nebraska 54,000 Arkansas 222,000 Nevada 34,000 California 421,000 New Hampshire 21,000 Colorado 99,000 New Jersey 14,000 Connecticut 4,000 New Mexico 74,000 Delaware 8,000 North Carolina 169,000 Florida 143,000 North Dakota 5,000 Georgia 197,000 Ohio 215,000 Hawaii 17,000 Oklahoma 162,000 Idaho 76,000 Oregon 91,000 Illinois 246,000 Pennsylvania 197,000 Indiana 202,000 Rhode Island 5,000 Iowa 68,000 South Carolina 120,000 Kansas 63,000 South Dakota 14,000 Kentucky 108,000 Tennessee 182,000 Louisiana 188,000 Texas 381,000 Maine 35,000 Utah 16,000 Maryland 49,000 Vermont 26,000 Massachusetts 34,000 Virginia 217,000 Michigan 286,000 Wisconsin 271,000 Minnesota 134,000 Washington 115,000 Mississippi 231,000 West Virginia 130,000 Missouri 236,000 Wyoming 21,000 The Rural Digital Opportunity Fund would allocate $20.4 billion through a reverse-auction format to connect millions of rural homes and small businesses to high-speed broadband networks.  The Fund would target areas that lack access to 25/3 Mbps broadband services in two stages.  During Phase I, the FCC would target $16 billion to areas that are wholly unserved by such broadband (where there is no 25/3 Mbps service at all).  For Phase II, the FCC would use its new granular broadband mapping approach, called the Digital Opportunity Data Collection, to target unserved households in areas that are partially served by such broadband (areas where some households have access to 25/3 Mbps service but others do not).  Phase II would also include areas that do not receive winning bids in Phase I.  * Commission staff’s initial estimate is that approximately six million model-determined locations would be eligible for bidding in Phase I of the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund.  This figure is subject to change for a variety of reasons, including updated data regarding broadband deployment and construction as well as any modifications made to Chairman Pai’s draft rules. Locations in Alaska and New York are not eligible for RDOF because of previously established programs to fund rural broadband in these states. ### 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).