This week the FCC announced plans to bring high-speed internet to 106,000 rural homes and business in 2019. The FCC is doing this by taking advantage of the Universal Service Fund.
FCC announced earlier this month plans to spend $20.4 billion on efforts to bring broadband to 4 million rural American homes. To do this the FCC is creating a new Rural Digital Opportunity Fund. This new Rural Digital Opportunity Fund will be used to help roll out infrastructure to rural Americans in peroration for 5G technologies according to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai.
According to the FCC, this money will come from the Universal Service Fund. The Universal Service Fun is a system of subsidies intended to promote access to phone services in underserved areas in the US. Now it is being used to promote internet services in rural America.
“Today’s announcement means that many more rural Americans will have access to high-speed broadband service that will enable them to fully participate in the digital economy— entrepreneurship, telemedicine, precision agriculture, online education, and more,” said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. “This is yet another example of how the FCC is working hard to close the digital divide.”
This is only the start of the FCC plans to push rural internet. According to the FCC, they will continue to push for the rollout of high-speed internet to more than 20 million Americans.
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