Rural Consumers Benefit the Most from Rural Carriers Building Out 3G and 4G Networks
The Rural Telecommunications Group, Inc. (RTG) applauds the Federal Communications Commission (FCC or Commission) on the success of Mobility Fund Phase I: Auction 901. RTG is proud to announce that several of its members were successful bidders in Auction 901 and each of them is eager to help bring 3G and 4G services to unserved areas of America. The vast majority of successful Auction 901 bidders were small and rural service providers who intimately know the challenges of deploying mobile broadband service in rural markets. Portions of the heartland of the U.S. will soon see the same services long-available in cities. America’s mobile broadband “gap” will narrow once the 33 winning bidders begin to deploy desperately needed 3G and 4G services to at least 83,494 road miles previously without high-speed mobile data access. The fruits of Auction 901 will be evident for years and decades to come in the 31 states receiving support, and American consumers living and traveling in these areas will benefit. RTG thanks the FCC for its hard work in making the first phase of the Mobility Fund an unqualified success and it is looking forward to assisting the Commission as it begins developing the framework for Mobility Fund Phase II.
The following statements can be attributed to Carri Bennet, RTG’s General Counsel:
Auction 901 is a prime example of how the FCC can positively promote rural broadband deployment — to the direct benefit of rural consumers — while simultaneously promoting a competitive marketplace that also includes small and rural service providers. The Commission’s decision to incorporate RTG’s suggestions and include more rural roads in its calculation of qualifying road miles allowed for a greater number of service providers, including rural RTG members, to participate in Auction 901. The number of successful bidders from all across the country is proof positive that with the right regulatory mindset and helpful policy tools, all of America benefits from increased mobile broadband coverage and smaller, but stronger, marketplace competitors.
About RTG – Headquartered in Washington, DC, the Rural Telecommunications Group, Inc. (RTG) is a trade association representing rural wireless carriers who each serve less than 100,000 subscribers. RTG’s members have joined together to speed delivery of new, efficient and innovative telecommunications technologies to remote and underserved communities. ruraltelecomgroup.org @RTGwireless
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