Industry Backs Extending CAF-II LOC Waiver

Industry backed extending the letter of credit requirement waiver for Connect America Fund Phase II and rural broadband experiments support recipients beyond Dec. 31, in comments posted Monday in docket 10-90. Comments were due Friday (see 2107060073). CAF II recipients are facing "pervasive" supply chain delays, said the Connect America Fund Phase II Coalition. The group, whose members include Air Link Rural Broadband, Nextlink, Aristotle Unified Communications, GeoLinks, Cal.net, IdeaTek Telcom, Inventive Wireless of Nebraska and Midcontinent Communications, said the waiver should be made permanent “given the annual increase in the CAF letter of credit value that will exacerbate the pandemic and post-pandemic challenges CAF recipients have and are experiencing.” USTelecom agreed and said it's "good policy" to adopt Rural Digital Opportunity Fund auction letter of credit requirements for CAF II.