Alaska Groups Seek Flexibility in FCC Alaska Connect Fund

The Alaska Telecom Association asked the FCC to include certain language in its pending rulemaking on next steps for the Alaska Plan's Alaska Connect Fund (see 2409130026). In a letter posted Tuesday in docket 23-328, ATA urged the FCC to account for the "unique circumstances facing each provider in the state," including geographic challenges and the availability of infrastructure. The group encouraged the FCC to "carefully determine the milestone dates for key assessments and measurements" for participating providers. "Any milestones set before 2031 risk ignoring that many [broadband, equity, access, and deployment] projects will require three or four years of permitting," the group said. The Alaska Remote Carrier Coalition raised similar concerns in a separate letter.