RUS Gets an Earful on 'E-connectivity' Pilot's Structure; Incumbents Oppose Overbuilding
The Rural Utilities Service received wide-ranging advice from an array of parties on its inquiry into how to implement a $600 million "e-connectivity" grant and loan pilot program. Telecom interests, electric cooperatives, government authorities and others filed 278 comments, which…
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continued to trickle out in RUS-18-Telecom-0004 (194 were posted by late Wednesday). Echoing comments of FCC Commissioner Mike O'Rielly (see 1809100047), NTCA, ITTA and some state telecom associations were among those urging that RUS not allow overbuilding of existing broadband facilities. U.S. Cellular said mobile broadband should be included in funding and the definition of a requirement that eligible rural areas have at least 90 percent of households without "sufficient access" to 10/1 Mbps broadband. "Mobile technology does not provide sufficient access," countered the Central Alabama Electric Cooperative, one of numerous cooperatives and their groups that filed. It's "impossible to overstate" the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association's support for the pilot, said the group, which cited a study finding the digital divide cost rural communities $68 billion in lost economic value. The Utilities Technology Council called for funding "robust broadband networks" with faster speeds and higher-quality service so that rural America isn't "left behind with marginal broadband services." In defining “sufficient access” for eligible rural areas, "the pilot should consider the transmission capacity required for economic development to ensure it meets the needs for consumer use, distance learning, telemedicine and businesses," said the California Broadband Council of Gov. Jerry Brown's (D) administration, one of many state, local and tribal entities to file comments. GCI Communication and other Alaska entities weighed in on their state's unique challenges.