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 [2]
Broadband stimulus: Clarity is needed, say service providers [3]
NTIA, RUS delay broadband grant awards [5]
Links:
[1] http://www.fiercebroadbandwireless.com/story/no-surprise-countrys-largest-network-operators-not-applying-stimulus-money/2009-08-16
[2] http://www.fiercetelecom.com/story/comcast-protests-broadband-stimulus-grant-applications/2009-10-27
[3] http://www.fiercetelecom.com/story/broadband-stimulus-clarity-needed-say-service-providers/2009-08-18
[4] http://blog.telephonyonline.com/unfiltered/2009/11/18/centurylink-challenges-nc-broadband-stimulus-bid
[5] http://www.fiercetelecom.com/story/ntia-rus-push-out-broadband-grant-awards/2009-10-29