RDOF Winners Lobby Rosenworcel Aide on Additional Support

A coalition of Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Phase I auction winners met with an aide to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel about a June letter from Sens. Roger Wicker, R-Miss.; JD Vance, R-Ohio; and Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., on supplemental funding for winning bidders, per an ex parte filing posted Wednesday in docket 19-126. The providers, which included Aristotle Unified Communications and TekWav, sought "assistance for relief that is available under its existing and already funded RDOF program" to address "huge cost increases" that "could never have been anticipated by the commission and RDOF winners" due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Supplemental funds "should not be limited to those RDOF winners with less than 250,000 current broadband subscribers" because cost increases "impacted all RDOF winners," the providers said.