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FCC allocates $326 million for rural broadband in Georgia
Posted on Dec 21, 2020 at 0:00 AM
On Dec. 7, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced that an estimated 373,000 rural Americans living and working in Georgia will gain access to high-speed broadband through the commission's Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) Phase I auction, during which companies bid for funding through RDOF.
In Georgia, the auction allocated $326,454,112.20 in support to expand broadband to 179,455 unserved homes and businesses over the next 10 years. Nearly all locations in Georgia that were eligible for the auction will be receiving access to broadband with speeds of at least 100/20 Mbps, with an overwhelming majority (85%) getting gigabit-speed broadband. The auction unleashed robust competition that resulted in more locations being awarded at less cost to Americans who pay into the FCC’s Universal Service Fund.
“This historic auction is great news for the residents of so many rural Georgia communities, who will get access to high-quality broadband service in areas that for too long have been on the wrong side of the digital divide,” said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, who said the auction was the commission’s single largest step ever taken to provide Americans access to digital opportunities.
The Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Phase I auction is part of a broader effort by the FCC to close the digital divide in rural America. In October 2020, the Commission adopted rules creating the 5G Fund for Rural America, which will distribute up to $9 billion over the next decade to bring 5G wireless broadband connectivity to rural America.
More information on the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Phase I Auction is available at www.fcc.gov/auction/904.
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