FCC Denies Requests for RDOF Amnesty

WASHINGTON, July 3, 2024 – The Federal Communications Commission announced Wednesday that it will not provide blanket amnesty to providers that default as participants in a major broadband subsidy program.

Some participants in the FCC’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund program had asked for a window in which they could drop out of the program with lower financial penalties, citing unexpectedly high costs. Consumer advocates also pushed for the move, citing a desire to get uncertain projects off the books before states determine their final eligibility maps for the Commerce Department’s $42.5-billion broadband expansion program, known as BEAD.