[1st-mile-nm] FCC Rural BB Funding in 23 states: not NM and Re: FCC E-Rate News

[Dale Carstensen]

I see so much irony in the amounts of money involved in these two
announcements.

$524 million for 10 years to assist rural broadband is for the Rural BB
Funding.

Nearly twice that ($985 million) to potentially nearly 10 times that
($5.15 billion) for 1 year is for the FCC E-Rate News funding.  The
ratio is somewhere between 18.7 and 98 times the money per unit of time.

The term "chump change" comes to mind, but then experience reminds me
even that will be mostly wasted, and what would really help isn't
money so much as it is policy to make right-of-way (lots of that
would be pole attachments) available, etc.

I found an FCC web page that explains what category one and two mean.
Both are only for eligible schools and libraries.  And not necessarily
just rural ones are eligible.  Category one is to subsidize expenses
for getting and keeping a connection to the internet.  Category two is
to subsidize network infrastructure internal to the school or library
system.

>Date:   Tue, 16 Jul 2019 09:58:36 -0600
>To:     1st-mile Nm <1st-mile-nm at mailman.dcn.org>
>From:   Richard Lowenberg <rl at 1st-mile.org>
>Subject: [1st-mile-nm] FCC Rural BB Funding in 23 states: not NM

>The FCC authorized over $524 million in funding over the next decade to 
>expand broadband to 205,520 unserved rural homes & businesses in 23 
>states, representing the 3rd wave of support from last year's successful 
>Connect America Fund Phase II auction.
>
>No funding for NM on this round.


>Date:   Thu, 18 Jul 2019 09:52:47 -0600
>To:     1st-mile Nm <1st-mile-nm at mailman.dcn.org>
>From:   Richard Lowenberg <rl at 1st-mile.org>
>Subject: [1st-mile-nm] FCC E-Rate News

>In this Notice, the Wireline Competition Bureau (Bureau) announces that 
>there is sufficient funding available to fully meet the Universal 
>Service Administrative Company?s (USAC) estimated demand for category 
>one and category two requests for E-Rate supported services for funding 
>year 2019.
>
>On April 1, 2019, USAC submitted a demand estimate for the E-Rate 
>program for funding year 2019. It estimates the total demand for 
>funding year 2019 will be $2.896 billion, which includes estimated 
>demand for category one services of $1.91 billion and of $985 million 
>for category two services.
>
>The Bureau announced that the E-Rate program funding cap for funding 
>year 2019 is $4.15 billion. Additionally, according to USAC 
>projections, $1 billion in unused funds from previous years is available 
>for use in E-Rate funding year 2019.