WTA Opposes RDOF Coalition Request for Additional Support

WTA opposed a request from a coalition of Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Phase I auction winners that the FCC grant additional support to winning bidders, in a letter posted Friday in docket 19-126 (see 2306210066). "An obvious gaming danger is the use of a 'strategy' of making support bids as unreasonably low as necessary in order to 'win' specific service areas, and then coming back to the commission later for the additional support that is actually needed to construct and operate the promised broadband networks in such areas," WTA said. The group warned the coalition's request would "give rise to significant issues with respect to the RDOF default penalties that have previously been assessed," saying RDOF winners that have been fined or paid default penalties "may argue that they would not have defaulted if they had received supplemental support or relaxed terms and conditions like those proposed by the coalition."