Washington, DC, July 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The ACAM Broadband Coalition (Coalition) applauds the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC or Commission) action in an order released today enhancing the ACAM High Cost Universal Support Program. Today’s action will significantly accelerate the provision of higher-speed future-proof broadband services to unserved and underserved Americans living in rural, high-cost areas throughout the country.
Today’s action is the culmination of nearly three years of advocacy by the ACAM Coalition to bring to consumers the higher broadband speeds and faster deployment they need and expect to compete fully in modern American society. Since the filing of its initial petition for expedited rulemaking in October 2020, the Coalition has spent countless hours working to secure the adoption of updates to the ACAM program that would increase the program’s benefits for rural consumers. The Coalition looks forward to carefully reviewing the details of the changes adopted by the Commission.
Todd Foje, Chief Executive Officer of Great Plains Communications, said: “We appreciate the Commission’s efforts to modernize the ACAM program for the benefit of customers in unserved and underserved areas of our country. Broadband is the foundation of the American economy, and customers in the most rural areas of the nation are hungry for access to broadband at higher speeds.”
Andrew Petersen, Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs at TDS Telecommunications, said: “Ensuring that every American, including those living and working in the highest cost, most rural parts of the country, has access to high-speed broadband is a job that requires tremendous resources. The enhanced ACAM program will operate in concert with the NTIA-administered Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program to materially further that critical goal.”
David Arvig, Chief Operating Officer of Arvig, said: “Broadband is the foundation of the American economy and Americans, particularly those living in the rural areas served by ACAM companies, are hungry for access to broadband at higher speeds. Action by the FCC to increase ACAM speed commitments in return for a reasonable level of support will ensure that consumers can quickly begin receiving these benefits.”
About the ACAM Broadband Coalition
The ACAM Broadband Coalition is comprised of broadband service providers that participate in the ACAM I or ACAM II universal service support programs. Collectively, through the ACAM program, they are bringing next-generation broadband services to unserved and underserved consumers in rural areas throughout the United States.
