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 in the program--started raising their hackles against applicants in their respective regions.
Following similar protests 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 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.
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