N.D. Broadband Association Lobbies FCC on Enhanced ACAM

The Broadband Association of North Dakota (BAND) asked the FCC to adopt its proposed enhanced Alternative Connect America Cost Model, in separate meetings with aides to all commissioners. The group backed continued support for the Connect America Fund broadband loop support, saying it would "secure long-term financial certainty for broadband operators in North Dakota," per an ex parte filing posted Wednesday in docket 10-90. BAND also raised concerns about "a potential loss in funding to rural broadband operators in existing ACAM areas" if the FCC designates certain fixed wireless providers as “unsubsidized competitors,” adding there are "seemingly overstated fixed wireless speeds and coverage areas" in the FCC’s broadband map.