121 Complete RDOF Auction Applications Submitted, 384 Incomplete; Waivers Denied

A total of 505 short-form applications were received for the Rural Digital Opportunities Fund Phase 1 auction, with 121 deemed complete and 384 incomplete, said a public notice Tuesday. Corrected, completed applications for the Oct. 29 auction must be submitted by Sept. 23 to participate, the notice said: “Late resubmissions will not be accepted.” The Office of Economics and Analytics also denied five requests for waivers of the short-form deadline, from Native Network, SmartSky Networks, Affinity Technology Solutions, Elektrafi and Little Miami Gig. “None of the Petitioners has met the essential requirement of showing that waiving the deadline will serve the public interest,” said an order Tuesday. “Enforcing the deadline, not waiving it, is fundamental to the public interest in an effective auction mechanism for distributing universal service support.”