1.1M Rural Consumers Could Get 100/20 Mbps With ‘Enhanced’ A-CAM
More than 1.1 million rural consumers would have access to at least 100/20 Mbps if the FCC adopts an ACAM Broadband Coalition proposal for an "enhanced" alternative connect America cost (A-CAM) model I program, the group said in a statement…
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Monday. Buildout obligations for participating providers would increase to 90% of eligible locations at minimum 100/20 Mbps and 10% at minimum of 25/3 Mbps. Participating providers would receive either "80[%] of their A-CAM-derived costs for eligible locations" or up to $300 per month per eligible location, the group said in a letter Thursday in docket 10-90. "The proposal would update the current ACAM high-cost universal service program to bring the program’s deployment obligations in line with the speed standard adopted by Congress in the recently enacted Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act," the coalition said, by giving rate-of-return companies the opportunity to "receive six additional years of support at revised support levels in return for providing significantly faster broadband speeds to consumers more quickly than the current plan envisions." The group lobbied an aide to Commissioner Brendan Carr and an aide to Commissioner Nathan Simington.