Press Release

PUC Approves Two Additional ETC Designations Advancing Broadband Deployment in Pennsylvania

Published on 11/18/2021

Filed under: Telecommunications

PA Now Has 13 ETC Designations Statewide Enabling Providers to Access Federal High-Cost Support Funds for Enhanced Voice & Broadband Services

HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) today approved petitions from CenturyTel Broadband Services, LLC (CTBS) and Windstream Communications Inc. (Windstream Communications) concerning the respective companies’ status as Eligible Telecommunications Carriers (ETCs) in Pennsylvania – enabling the companies to access federal high-cost support funding awarded through the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) Phase 1 Auction. 

RDOF is a federally operated program through the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the FCC’s latest initiative to build on efforts to bring robust, affordable voice and broadband services to America’s unserved and underserved rural areas.  Through this auction, the FCC awarded up to $923 million annually for 10 years to winning bidders committed to providing voice and fixed broadband Internet services (BIAS) to unserved, high-cost areas, including Pennsylvania.

The Commission today voted 3-0 to grant the petitions of CTBS and Windstream, both of which are now eligible to receive federal high-cost support funding assigned through the recent RDOF Phase 1 Auction.  Under federal law, winning bidders in RDOF Phase I Auction must obtain a high-cost ETC designation from the PUC that covers its winning bid areas before receiving any federal universal service fund support to build voice and broadband networks and provide related services in the RDOF-eligible high-cost areas of the Commonwealth. 

Specifically, CTBS has been designated as a high-cost ETC in 126 individual RDOF-eligible census blocks in Pennsylvania so that its parent company CenturyLink may certify to the FCC that it has received designation as a high-cost ETC in all the eligible census blocks in Pennsylvania where it had submitted winning bids and has been awarded Auction 904 support.

Additionally, Windstream Communications has been designated as a high-cost ETC in 345 RDOF-eligible census block groups in Pennsylvania where Windstream Services had been awarded RDOF Phase I high-cost funding support by the FCC in Auction 904. With its ETC designation approval by the Commission, Windstream Communications can now serve those eligible high-cost areas in Pennsylvania where its parent company, Windstream Services LLC, currently does not have an ETC designation.

Following the FCC’s decision to conduct reverse auctions to distribute federal high-cost support, the Commission has now granted thirteen ETC designations in Pennsylvania – with CTBS and Windstream Communications joining Zito Mifflin LLC; Starlink Services LLC; Youngsville Television Corporation d/b/a Blue Fiber Corporation and Connect Everyone LLC (doing business as Starry); the PA Frontier Companies; Claverack Communications LLC; Time Warner Cable Information Services (Pennsylvania) LLC; Centre WISP Venture Company LLC; Velocity.Net Communications, Inc.; Armstrong Telecommunications, Inc. (ATI) and Tri-Co Connections LLC – as current ETCs along with the Commonwealth’s incumbent local exchange carrier telephone companies (ILECs).

A total of 13 bidders in Pennsylvania will receive $368.7 million over the next 10 years to bring high speed internet service to homes and businesses to 184,505 locations that are underserved, or do not have access to broadband that meets current federal standards.

According to the FCC, the Pennsylvania projects will reach residents in an estimated 327,000 locations under the RDOF program in Adams, Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Bedford, Berks, Blair, Bradford, Bucks, Butler, Cambria, Cameron, Carbon, Centre, Chester, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Columbia, Crawford, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Elk, Erie, Fayette, Forest, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Huntingdon, Indiana, Jefferson, Juniata, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lawrence, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Lycoming, McKean, Mercer, Mifflin, Monroe, Montgomery, Montour, Northumberland, Perry, Philadelphia, Pike, Potter, Schuylkill, Snyder, Somerset, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Union, Venango, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Westmoreland, Wyoming and York counties.

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission balances the needs of consumers and utilities; ensures safe and reliable utility service at reasonable rates; protects the public interest; educates consumers to make independent and informed utility choices; furthers economic development; and fosters new technologies and competitive markets in an environmentally sound manner.

For recent news releases and video of select Commission proceedings or more information about the PUC, visit our website at www.puc.pa.gov. Follow the PUC on Twitter – @PA_PUC for all things utility.  “Like” PAPowerSwitch on Facebook for easy access to information on electric shopping.

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Docket Nos.:     
P-2021-3024219
P-2021-3025445

Contact:

• David Hixson
  Deputy Press Secretary
  717-772-2766
  dhixson@pa.gov