Electrical Engineering News and Products

Electronics Engineering Resources, Articles, Forums, Tear Down Videos and Technical Electronics How-To's

FCC Releases Winning Bidders of $1.48B CAF-II Auction

By

The FCC on Tuesday revealed names of the winning bidders of its Connect America Fund Phase II (CAF-II) auction, which concluded last week and will dole out $1.488 billion to internet service providers to expand fixed internet coverage in rural areas.

The winners span a variety of different service provider types, with satellite providers, electric cooperatives and WISPs filling out those receiving the most support in auction funds.

AMG Technology Investment Group is receiving $281.28 million to help provide coverage at 100,661 locations across six states and fixed wireless internet provider Wisper ISP scooped up $220.3 million to extend broadband to 80,149 locations across six states. The Rural Electric Cooperative Consortium won $186 million in support, covering 66,322 locations spanning eight states, while satellite internet provider Viastat received $122.49 million to help reach 190,595 locations over 20 states.

Jump to the bottom to see the full list of winners.

Overall 713,176 new locations will gain access to high-speed internet and auction winners must meet certain speed thresholds and buildout timeframe requirements.

Specifically, 53 percent of homes and businesses covered by support of the auction will have available download speeds of at least 100 Mbps, while 19 percent will have 1 Gbps service available. And 711,389 locations – all but 0.25 percent – will have at least 25 Mbps service available, according to the FCC. 

Rules of the auction require providers to build out service to 40 percent of their assigned home and businesses in a state within three years, and that must increase by 20 percent each year after that, with 100 percent completion by the end of the sixth year.

“The successful conclusion of this first-of-its kind auction is great news for the residents of these rural communities, who will finally be able to share in the 21st-century digital opportunities that broadband provides,” said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai in a statement. “By tapping the mechanisms of the marketplace, the Phase II auction served as the most appropriate and cost-effective way to allocate funding for broadband in these unserved communities, bringing the highest-quality broadband services to the most consumers at the lowest cost to the ratepayer.”

Verizon also will receive CAF-II support, with $9.47 million to cover 3,361 locations in seven states.

                                                                                                                                                                  

WINNING BIDDERS

Bidder

Total Assigned Support

Locations

States

3E8 Broadband Solutions, LLC

$3,621,847

811

1

Air Link Rural Broadband, LLC

$11,371,438

2,321

1

Allen’s T.V. Cable Service, Inc.

$1,776,733

794

1

AMG Technology Investment Group LLC

$281,283,794

100,661

6

ArisWave Consortium

$12,298,811

7,680

5

Armstrong Telephone Company – Northern Division

$2,642,413

1,949

1

Barry Electric Cooperative

$6,103,454

2,308

1

BEK Communications Cooperative

$1,182,155

534

1

Ben Lomand Communications, LLC

$333,797

171

1

Benton Ridge Telephone Company

$52,371,819

23,957

3

Bloosurf, LLC

$5,468,497

5,091

2

Broadband Corp

$428,117

128

1

Bruce Telephone Company, Inc.

$177,933

34

1

Cal.net, Inc.

$50,516,652

20,859

1

California Internet, L.P.

$87,832,403

11,845

2

Casey Mutual Telephone Company

$244,923

107

1

Chariton Valley Communications Corporation

$4,179,666

847

1

Cincinnati Bell Inc.

$1,098,830

342

2

Citynet LLC

$6,517,708

898

1

ClearSKY Systems, Inc.

$127,414

207

1

Commnet Wireless, LLC

$79,941,691

31,824

6

Computer 5 Inc. d/b/a LocalTel Communications

$6,847,092

1,910

1

Consolidated Telephone Company

$934,934

358

1

Consortium 903

$5,357,649

13,657

1

Crocker Communications, Inc.

$1,193,077

404

1

Crystal Automation Systems, Inc.

$27,299,087

17,610

1

Declaration Networks Group, Inc

$6,784,141

5,383

2

Echo Wireless Broadband, Inc.

$5,475,911

1,717

2

Farmers Mutual Telephone Company

$348,992

163

1

Federated Telephone Cooperative

$1,431,039

808

1

Fidelity Communications Company

$72,827

19

2

Fond du Lac Reservation Business Committee

$55,011

13

1

Frontier Communications Corporation

$51,553

23

1

Garden Valley Telephone Company

$880,346

95

1

Gila Local Exchange Carrier, Inc.

$104,499

29

1

Halstad Telephone Company

$19,635

7

1

Hankins Information Technology

$1,911,329

1,083

1

Hanson Communications, Inc.

$205,818

35

1

Hardy Telecommunications, Inc

$47,435

7

1

Hawaiian Telcom, Inc.

$18,160,638

3,936

1

Hilliary Communications Consortium

$3,992,041

1,335

2

HolstonConnect, LLC

$535,417

517

1

Horry Telephone Cooperative, Inc.

$233,490

80

1

IdeaTek Telcom, LLC

$6,186,882

2,490

1

Illinois Electric Cooperative

$2,276,419

804

1

Independent Networks, Inc.

$288,834

123

1

Interstate Telecommunications Cooperative, Inc.

$552,330

209

1

Inventive Wireless of Nebraska, LLC

$5,240,646

1,692

3

Jaguar Communication, Inc

$510,588

672

1

JCWIFI.com LLC

$486,424

175

1

Johnson Telephone Company

$81,273

47

1

Lake Region Technology & Communications, LLC

$4,024,501

2,247

1

LTD Broadband LLC

$1,264,673

1,407

5

Maquoketa Valley Rural Electric Cooperative

$2,262,039

1,107

1

Mark Twain Communications Company

$3,053,366

676

1

Mercury Wireless

$4,610,330

11,092

5

Meriwether Lewis Connect LLC

$1,183,627

290

1

MGW Networks, LLC

$417,807

238

1

Midcontinent Communications

$38,902,342

9,371

3

Mid-States Services, LLC

$1,868,060

358

1

Mountain West Technologies Corporation

$2,658,057

550

1

Mutual Telephone Company of Sioux Center, Iowa

$627,920

191

1

NBVDS Investment, L.L.C.

$2,776,942

667

1

NE Colorado Cellular, Inc.

$3,097,732

807

3

Newmax, LLC dba Intermax Networks

$11,556,872

7,952

2

Northern Arapaho Tribal Industries

$4,070,664

849

1

Orange County REMC

$10,200,496

4,046

1

Otelco, Inc.

$921,505

772

1

Paul Bunyan Rural Telephone Cooperative

$1,313,543

315

1

PC Telcorp, Inc.

$387,303

33

1

Perry-Spencer Rural Telephone Cooperative, Inc.

$1,182,426

359

1

Pine Cellular Phones, Inc.

$4,695,551

1,979

1

Plains internet, LLC

$6,153,040

4,642

3

Red Spectrum Communications LLC

$521,715

185

1

Redwire, Inc.

$4,766,846

8,041

1

Roseau Electric Cooperative, Inc.

$2,081,770

326

1

RTC Communications Corp

$1,326,394

1,203

1

Rural Electric Cooperative Consortium

$186,022,490

66,322

8

Shawnee Communications, Inc.

$1,714,708

567

1

Sunset Digital Communications, Inc.

$29,575,007

9,093

2

SW DinehNet LLC

$2,038,738

869

1

SyncWave, LLC

$24,844

21

1

Tombigbee Communications, LLC

$1,691,879

279

1

Total Highspeed LLC

$640,560

386

1

Townes Wireless, Inc.

$190,098

20

1

Tri County Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc.

$32,326,228

7,015

1

Tri County Telephone Association, Inc.

$7,017,178

3,186

2

Tri-County Electric Cooperative

$117,784

106

1

Twin Valley Communications, Inc

$45,610

9

1

Union Telephone Company

$5,437,562

1,468

1

Valley Communications Association, LLC

$404,754

153

1

Velocity.Net Communications, Inc.

$230,016

39

1

Verizon Communications Inc.

$9,476,934

3,361

7

Viasat, Inc.

$122,499,877

190,595

20

Wabash Independent Networks, Inc.

$669,462

359

1

West Central Telephone Association

$611,934

532

1

Westfield Gas & Electric Light Department

$10,325,401

5,163

1

Wikstrom Telephone Company

$532,557

56

1

Wilkes Telephone Membership Corporation

$32,820,017

13,886

2

Winnebago Cooperative Telecom Association

$179,957

101

1

Wisper ISP, Inc

$220,319,375

80,149

6

Wood County Telephone Company d/b/a Solarus

$81,920

15

1

WPS

$324,009

954

1

Total

$1,488,329,864

713,176