FCC debates whether DSL or FTTP is best fit for the Connect America fund

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) wants to know if Fiber to the Premises (FTTP) or hybrid copper/fiber Fiber to the Node (FTTN) is the best option to fill the broadband availability gap in rural communities.

It outlined technology choice and other issues in a public notice this week.

"The question includes the important threshold matters of whether the model should presume green-field or brown-field deployment and whether the model should estimate costs of fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) or DSL (including fiber-to-the-node (FTTN)) technology," wrote the FCC.

In addition, the agency examines forward-looking cost models that were submitted by the ABC Coalition and ACS. America's Broadband Connectivity (ABC) Coalition estimates the cost of providing service to all of the United States, while ACS estimates the cost of serving Alaska only.

Last October, the agency voted to update the Universal Service Fund and intercarrier compensation systems (ICS) and create the Connect America Fund to bring broadband services to rural areas.

Despite any positives that such a program could potentially bring, cable operators, as reported in FierceTelecom's sister publication FierceCable, continue to argue that the FCC's actions favor the telcos.

For more:
 - see the FCC notice

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