FCC Proposes Rural Broadband Protection Act Rules: New Vetting for High-Cost Broadband Funding, Stiffer Penalties for Defaults
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on October 29 in Washington issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FCC 26-75) seeking comment on implementing the Rural Broadband Protection Act (RBPA), proposing a new vetting process for recipients of certain new High-Cost funding awards to safeguard Universal Service Fund support.
According to the FCC, the RBPA directs the Commission to initiate a rulemaking proceeding to establish a vetting process for recipients of certain new high-cost funding awards. The proposal seeks comment on how to strengthen the Commission's vetting and application framework for future high-cost support mechanisms, and on whether and how to update the vetting frameworks used for prior competitive high-cost support mechanisms, for instance the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund.
Under the proposal, future high-cost support mechanisms would elicit sufficient detail and documentation to ensure that an applicant has the technical, financial, and operational capabilities to deliver broadband-capable networks. The FCC also proposes to increase penalties for carriers that commit to provide service but then default before funding is authorized.
The High-Cost program, part of the Universal Service Fund, has long supported building and operating broadband networks in rural and other high-cost areas. The FCC lists the proceeding under WC Docket Nos. 10-90, 26-96, and 26-288; the news release states no comment deadline, which will be set in the full text of the proposed rule.
The notice was approved by Chairman Brendan Carr and Commissioners Anna Gomez and Olivia Trusty, with Chairman Carr and Commissioner Trusty issuing separate statements. A Notice of Proposed Rulemaking is a comment-seeking step, not a final rule; the FCC will decide the final rule text after reviewing public comments.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：美国中西部乡村农田与农舍之间的一座蜂窝通信塔航拍全景（资料图）。Wikideas1 摄，CC0 公共领域授权，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Aerial view of a cellular tower amid farmland and farmsteads in the rural U.S. Midwest (file photo). Photo by Wikideas1, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
