NTCA CEO Dings Cable for RDOF Defaults

WASHINGTON, June 24, 2024 – The head of a rural broadband trade group chided the cable industry last week for defaulting on commitments made as part of a Federal Communications Commission subsidy program.

“Right now, there is a great deal of noise from the cable industry on how they are going to be the ones who bring connectivity to these markets,” NTCA CEO Shirley Bloomfield wrote in a blog post on Friday. “That said, looking at their track record on Rural Digital Opportunity Fund or even American Rescue Plan funding, pardon me if I remain skeptical on their actual commitment to serving these markets beyond the enterprise customers who might be attractive. The farm at the end of the road? Likely not so much.”