08/17/2016

ACA: Weighting Of CAF Bids Must Be Based Upon The Statute, A Methodology And Data

In reply comments, the American Cable Association said the Federal Communications Commission's effort to develop a weighting system for the Connect America Fund Phase II competitive bidding program must have a sound statutory foundation and any weighting factors need to emanate from that basis, be based upon a methodology, and be quantified based on market data.

"The FCC should weight bids based on the statutory requirement that consumers in eligible areas receive reasonably comparable service to urban consumer preferences for broadband Internet access services over the 10-year timeframe of the program and that, to maximize participation, the deployment cost of bids in different performance tiers be normalized.  Both of these factors can be determined using a methodology based on market data and are quantifiable," ACA President and CEO Matthew M. Polka said on Aug. 8.  Read more