The Federal Communications Commission is set to award another $1.2 billion through its Rural Digital Opportunities Fund, after an overhaul that the agency says improves its ability to make sure that companies actually deliver the rural broadband service that they have said they will.
The $1.2 billion RDOF wave will fund broadband deployments in 32 states to connect more than 1 million locations, and it is the largest RDOF funding round to date.
Meanwhile, in hopes of tightening up accountability for providers who won work through RDOF, the FCC has created a new Rural Broadband Accountability Plan, which it described as “a new effort to monitor and ensure compliance for universal service high-cost programs including the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund.”
