A bipartisan group of Arizona congressmen urged the FCC in...
A bipartisan group of Arizona congressmen urged the FCC in a letter sent this week to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski to “expeditiously” distribute resources from the commission’s Connect America Fund (CAF). The lawmakers noted that less than half of the…
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CAF support was distributed in 2012 and said they're “anxious to see tangible results” in areas where broadband infrastructure is lacking. They said they were encouraged by the commission’s Nov. 19 rulemaking notice aimed at refining CAF eligibility rules and asked the FCC to consider the proposal as soon as possible. The letter was signed by Democratic Reps. Ed Pastor, Raul Grijalva, Ann Kirkpatrick, Kyrsten Sinema and Republican Reps. Paul Gosar and David Schweikert. Separately, in a letter sent this week, Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Ark., urged Genachowski to “promptly deploy” CAF resources “for the good of rural consumers.” Crawford said much of the $600 million set aside to invest in new broadband deployment in 2012 “remains on the sidelines and the wait for broadband continues,” according to the letter. “The current slow pace is unfortunate when you consider that the FCC financed state-of-the-art networks for thousands of other rural Americans a decade or more ago,” he wrote. Crawford further urged the commission to act on its NPRM to refine CAF rules and enable carriers to quickly deploy broadband infrastructure to unserved citizens.