Three rural ILECs asked the FCC to revoke Sprint Nextel’s eligibl...
Three rural ILECs asked the FCC to revoke Sprint Nextel’s eligible telecom carrier (ETC) designation in Va. ETC status qualifies carriers for universal service money. Rural companies TDS Telecom, FairPoint and Burke’s Garden Telephone said Sprint operates in only…
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a fraction of Va. study areas it is designated in. Sprint told the FCC “it would use federal funding to aggressively build out and expand coverage in rural and unserved markets” when it got ETC status in 2004, the rural LECs told the FCC. Instead, “several of Sprint/Nextel’s designated study areas (particularly its rural study areas) remain wholly outside its coverage area… Sprint/Nextel has targeted its coverage in Virginia to densely-populated areas and interstate highways.” An attorney representing the 3 companies said this seems to be the first time a party has challenged a carrier’s ETC status for not living up to promises.