Dismiss Frontier's RDOF Census Block Challenges, Conexon Urges FCC

Mapping data behind Frontier's census block challenges for the FCC's Rural Digital Opportunity Fund phase I auction is so questionable the challenges should be set aside, Conexon said in a filing posted Wednesday in docket 19-126. "Given the time limitations of the challenge process, we suggest that the best course is to dismiss all copper- and spectrum-based challenges." It called nearly all such challenges suspect. The telco "confirmed to the FCC that the vast majority of these census blocks represent existing builds, including those undertaken as part of the Connect America Fund Phase II program over the past five years, and were reported in Frontier’s December 2019 477 filing, before release of the initial census block list," emailed Vice President-Federal Regulatory Affairs AJ Burton. "The vast majority of the challenged blocks were also reported at speeds of 25/2 Mbps with Frontier’s public June 2019 477 filing. Conexon’s filing appears to have missed our letter filed with the FCC last Friday and the facts presented.”