As the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and Rural Utility Service (RUS) get set to award broadband stimulus grants, it was only a matter of time before incumbent telcos such as CenturyLink--who opted to not participate [1] in the program--started raising their hackles against applicants in their respective regions.

Following similar protests [2] by Comcast, CenturyTel is questioning Electronic Solutions' proposal to build 27 wireless antennas to bring broadband service to North Carolina's Person County. The tier 2 ILEC believes that the areas Electronic Solutions is building the network for are in areas that CenturyLink has already built out sufficient broadband facilities.

Given the somewhat murky meaning [3] of what exactly 'unserved' and 'underserved' is has been a thorny issue for many communities and will likely be a key point of discussion as other incumbent service providers protest other pending applications.   

For more:
- Telephony has this post [4]

Related articles
Comcast protests broadband stimulus grant applications [5]
Broadband stimulus: Clarity is needed, say service providers [6]
NTIA, RUS delay broadband grant awards [7]