FCC Seeks Comment on Viasat, Redwire ETC Petitions for CAF II Auction Support
Comments are due March 6, replies March 13 on Viasat and Redwire requests to be designated as Connect America Fund eligible telecom carriers, said an FCC Wireline Bureau public notice in docket 09-197 and Thursday's Daily Digest. Both won CAF…
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Phase II auction support over 10 years, with Viasat bidding $122.5 million to serve 190,595 locations in 20 states and Redwire bidding $4.8 million to serve 8,041 Oklahoma locations. Viasat's petition seeks ETC status for Alabama, California, Florida and West Virginia, which have declined to exercise their jurisdiction, and says it will provide satellite broadband and voice service. Windstream in November called Viasat's funding a waste because it would provide the "same high-latency service" it already provides (see 1811080031). But Viasat replied that "stringent" FCC criteria require it to offer a service tier and pricing it doesn't otherwise offer, including usage allowance that's expected to rise (see 1811130034). As a federally recognized tribal entity, Redwire is not subject to Oklahoma regulatory jurisdiction, says its petition, which notes it will deploy a wireless network to provide broadband and voice service to anchor institutions, businesses and residences.