FCC Funds Four Rural Broadband Experiments Reaching 15,000 Consumers

Funding Authorized for Four Rural Broadband Experiments Serving Over 15,000

Consumers

Washington, D.C. (August 7, 2015) – Four projects that will provide broadband service to 15,000 consumers living in rural areas have been authorized for funding from the FCC’s Rural Broadband Experiment program. The $11.2 million awarded will fund a diverse group of projects in five states over 10 years. In addition to providing service, these projects will help fulfill the mission of the Rural Broadband Experiment program to explore cost-effective ways of expanding broadband service in rural areas. Over 50% of rural Americans lack access to broadband, according to the FCC’s 2015 Broadband Progress Report. Recognizing the importance of broadband access in today’s society, the FCC’s Connect America Fund will provide over $10 billion over the next 6 years to close the rural-urban broadband gap. The Rural Broadband Experiments program was adopted in 2014 to test on a limited scale the use of competitive bidding to award funding from the Connect America Fund. The authorized projects, their total funding over 10 years, and their locations are as follows:

Skybeam, LLC

will extend fixed wireless service to 6,647 homes and businesses at speeds of 25 Mbps for downloads and 5 Mbps uploads, over a network capable of delivering service at 100 Mbps downloads and 25 Mbps uploads. Locations served include portions of the following counties in three states:

Illinois:

$2.6 million for 3,279 homes and businesses in the counties of Grundy,

LaSalle, Livingston, Marshall, and Woodford

Kansas:

$880,000 for 914 homes and businesses in the counties of Butler,

Harvey and Marian

Texas:

$1 million for 2,454 homes and businesses in the counties of Lee and

Washington.

Allamakee-Clayton Electric Cooperative

will receive $1.5 million to extend service at speeds of 10/1 to 665 homes and small businesses in the northern two-thirds of

Fayette County, Iowa, over a hybrid fiber/fixed wireless network.

Consolidated Communications Networks, Inc.

will receive $3 million to extend broadband service over a fiber network to 171 homes and businesses in portions of

Stark County, North Dakota.

Delta Communications LLC

will receive $2.2 million to extend broadband service to 122 homes and businesses over fiber networks in portions of the following counties in

Illinois: Alexander, Clay, Edwards, Hamilton, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Massac, Perry, Pulaski, Randolph, Richland, Saline, Union, Washington, Wayne, White and Williamson. The projects must be 85% built out in three years, and 100% in five years.