Press Release

PUC Approves Zito Mifflin County LLC as an ETC Designation Advancing Broadband Deployment in Central Pennsylvania

Published on 9/15/2021

Filed under: Telecommunications

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

HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) today approved a petition from Zito Mifflin County LLC (Zito Mifflin) concerning its status as an Eligible Telecommunications Carrier (ETC) in Pennsylvania – enabling the company 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 rural areas.  Under federal law, Pennsylvania companies must obtain an ETC designation from the PUC before receiving federal universal service fund support to build voice and broadband networks and provide related services in high-cost areas of the Commonwealth. 

The Commission today voted 4-0 to grant the petition of Zito Mifflin, which is now eligible to receive federal high-cost support funding it has been assigned by its parent company, Zito West Holding LLC, through the recent RDOF Phase 1 Auction 904.  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. 

Specifically, over a 10-year period, Zito Mifflin will receive $457,956 to deploy broadband to provide BIAS to a minimum 279 identified locations in 41 census blocks in the Verizon Pennsylvania, LLC McVeytown local exchange area in Mifflin County.  Under the FCC’s auction requirements, among its offerings, Zito Mifflin must offer one service plan that provides BIAS at speeds of 1 Gbps/500 Mbps (download/upload) and a latency at or below 100 milliseconds.

Following the FCC’s decision to conduct reverse auctions to distribute federal high-cost support, the Commission has now granted eleven ETC designations in Pennsylvania - with Zito Mifflin joining 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 an estimated 327,000 residents 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-2021-3023622

Contact:

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