Rural broadband provider Frontier Communications has accepted $283 million in Connect America Fund money from the FCC to expand its broadband network.
Funding will provide for services throughout the U.S. and is expected to impact 650,000 people.
The FCC established the CAF in 2011 to facilitate broadband deployment to the millions of American living in rural areas without access to broadband infrastructure.
In 2012 and 2013, the FCC issued CAF Phase I, one-time interim support for deployment of broadband access to unserved and underserved locations. Frontier participated in that round of funding and invested $133 million of CAF Phase I funding in addition to its own capital to deploy or upgrade broadband service to nearly 200,000 locations. This additional support will enable Frontier to continue accelerating broadband deployment across its footprint.
Some of that money will go to states like West Virginia, where access is spotty at best. Frontier has already spent $500 million in West Virginia, and was involved in the state’s troubled broadband expansion project for anchor institutions.
$4.4 million is also expected to go to project work in New Mexico.
