Some 1,700 More RDOF Bids Ready to be OK'd

More than 1,700 additional winning FCC Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Phase I bids, totaling more than $550 million, are ready to be authorized, said a Wireline Bureau public notice in docket 19-126. Letters of credit and bankruptcy opinion letters are due 6 p.m. EDT Nov. 3. “This is good news for consumers waiting far too long for broadband in parts of the country that have yet to be served,” said acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. The bureau denied two providers waivers for the program, in another order Wednesday. It partially denied LTD Broadband's petition for waiver of the June 7 deadline to receive eligible telecom carrier designation in Iowa, Nebraska and North Dakota. LTD "failed to provide a compelling rationale or demonstrate special circumstances" to warrant waiving the deadline. Staff denied NW Fiber's petition for waiver of the Jan. 29 deadline to submit long-form applications: The company continues "to miss required deadlines and failed to complete the requirements of the program."