ViaSat Again Asks FCC to Reverse Rejection of Rural Broadband Experiment Bid

ViaSat again asked the FCC to reverse its summary rejection (see 1501060026) of the company’s application for the rural broadband experiments (RBE) auction and its summary denial of the company’s waiver request, ViaSat said in a reply comment filed in docket 10-90 Monday. The Wireline Bureau denied its application on Dec. 5 and denied 16 other petitions in a Friday order. ViaSat's bid was rejected because it "allegedly did not satisfy the 100 millisecond latency standard," but the company’s application stated that it would fulfill the RBE program requirements, it said. ViaSat said the bureau didn’t conduct the RBE reverse auction in a fair manner by failing to give its application a "hard look" and seeking comment for other waiver requests, but not its own. ViaSat argued against NTCA’s assertion that the company submitted its application improperly and ignored the legal significance of voice telephony service. The FCC declined to comment.