Some recommendations in the National Broadband Plan “put existing rural...
Some recommendations in the National Broadband Plan “put existing rural broadband networks at risk,” the National Telecommunications Cooperative Association and other associations said in a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. The proposal creates uncertainty and “jeopardizes infrastructure investment, future…
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debt equity loans for carriers and the repayment of Rural Utilities Service loans,” they said. The letter also was signed by the Western Telecom Alliance and the Organization for the Promotion & Advancement of Small Telecommunications Companies. The overarching problem is the disparity between the goals of achieving download speeds of 100 Mbps for 100 million homes by 2020, and the initial universal target of 4 Mbps, NTCA said. “Urban centers would enjoy the higher level speeds much sooner,” said NTCA Government Affairs Vice President Tom Wacker in an interview. With the extreme costs of deploying broadband in rural areas, “you're not going to reach the high levels of speeds quickly.” The letter also emphasizes the concern about “the ability of our members to pay back existing communications loans” issued by RUS. If the FCC diverts Universal Service Fund support away from certain carriers, “you'll move capital and operating expenses away from those who've shown a commitment to those rural markets,” Wacker said. The 4 Mbps goal is a minimum threshold, Wireline Bureau Chief Sharon Gillett said in an interview. “It’s aggressive relative to other countries,” like the U.K. and Australia. “We're suggesting that when broadband is supported with public funds, it [speed] should be at a minimum level of what is adequate for the rest of the country.” In order to achieve 100 Mbps for 100 million homes, rural households must be included, Gillett said.