Hughes Urges New FCC to Finish CAF II Broadband Auction Rules in First 100 Days

The FCC should aim to finalize broadband reverse auction rules in the first 100 days of the new administration, said Hughes Network Systems in a filing Wednesday in docket 10-90 on its meeting with an aide to Chairman Ajit Pai. Hughes noted past Pai statements expressing a sense of urgency on completing the proceeding so companies can bid on Connect America Fund Phase II subsidy support and improve broadband/voice networks and service. "The CAF Phase II auction should prioritize broad participation and bid evaluation criteria that make broadband available as widely as possible in rural areas," the filing said. "The record supports a bid-ranking system that maximizes participation and breadth of broadband coverage." The company proposed a sliding scale of bid discounts (lower bids are generally favored in a reverse auction) for the FCC's planned four broadband speed performance tiers: 0 discount for the "Minimum" (more than 10/1 Mbps), 10 percent off for "Baseline" (more than 25/3 Mbps), 20 percent off for "Above Baseline" (more than 100/20 Mbps) and 30 percent off for "Gigabit" (1 Gbps/500 Mbps). The satellite firm also proposed usage-allowance and latency details, and noted some similarities in its overall approach with those of others, including telcos.