Connect America adds $255 million to rural broadband funding

According to the FCC, the commission has just added $255 million to its Connect America Fund “to provide new broadband access to over 400,000 homes and businesses in rural areas of 41 states.”

Connect America is part of the federal effort to extend broadband access to rural areas, and these new funds bring the first phase of the program to more than $400 million in funding.

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said:

“Access to modern broadband networks is essential in the information age, yet 15 million Americans live in areas where they can’t get wireline broadband no matter how much they want it. These funds will jump-start broadband access in areas that would otherwise be bypassed by the digital economy.”

According to Speed Matters calculations these funds went to the following carriers, to subsidized increased broadband access: AT&T, $94,741,425; CenturyLink, $39,737,275; FairPoint, $2,890,350; Frontier, $57,637,650; and Windstream, $60,717,150.

Speed Matters supports the Connect America Fund and its effort to bring broadband access to all Americans.

FCC’s Connect America Fund to expand broadband to nearly 400,000 rural homes and businesses in 41 states (FCC news release, Dec. 5, 2013)