The Federal Communications Commission is able to authorize greater than in funding by way of the . , the 10-year program seeks to increase broadband web entry throughout rural America. In an announcement noticed by , the FCC says the funding wave will see 23 broadband suppliers convey web service to greater than 1 million areas throughout 32 states.

Additionally, and possibly much more importantly, the FCC additionally introduced the , a program to make sure recipients of the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund are correctly spending the funding they obtain from the general public.

As a part of this system, the FCC plans to double the variety of audits it conducts in 2022 in comparison with 2021. It will even topic the most important greenback recipients to on-site audits and random checks to make sure compliance. What’s extra, the FCC plans to submit the outcomes of its audits, pace exams and latency testing to the USAC website in order that the general public can participate within the accountability course of. “These new measures will help ensure that the providers we fund in this program will do the job,” FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel mentioned.

The announcement of the Rural Broadband Accountability Plan comes after the FCC mentioned final yr it was taking steps to “” the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund. In July, the company revisited profitable bids from this system’s December 2020 public sale, which was overseen by , after it obtained complaints it “was poised to fund broadband to parking lots and well-served urban areas” somewhat than rural communities. The FCC despatched letters to 197 organizations and corporations, together with , giving them the chance to withdraw their funding requests.

“This program can do great things, but it requires thoughtful oversight,” Rosenworcel mentioned on the time. “That’s why we are refocusing the program on unserved areas and putting winning bidders on notice of their obligation to ensure that support goes to the areas that need it.”