On Wednesday, May 20, 2020, at 2:00 pm EDT, the FCC Office of Intergovernmental Affairs (IGA), Office of Native Affairs and Policy (ONAP), and Rural Broadband Auctions Task Force (RBATF) held a webinar for state, local, and Tribal government officials on the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Phase I auction (Auction 904). Through this auction, the Commission will award broadband service providers up to $16 billion for the deployment of voice and fixed broadband services at speeds of 25/3 Mbps or faster to currently unserved locations nationwide. Approximately 5.9 million homes and businesses are initially eligible to obtain access to broadband service as a result of winning bids. Auction 904 is currently scheduled to begin in October 2020.
This free webinar focused on the issues related to the auction that affect state, local, Tribal, and territorial governments. The webinar also provided an overview of the adopted policy framework for Auction 904, the proposed procedures for applications and bidding in the auction, and tips for service providers that are interested in applying to participate in the auction.
The webinar was conducted via WebEx and took place from 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm EDT, on Wednesday, May 20, 2020.