Round 2 of the $1.98 billion FCC CAF-II auction kicks off today. The auction started on Tuesday July 24^th. FCC Auction 903 is auctioning off $198 million annually, for the next ten years. Two hundred and twenty companies qualified to participate in the auction.

Winners of these Connect America Fund dollars have to commit to bring broadband and voice service to unserved and underserved rural markets in census blocks located in up to 20 states. Funding will be awarded to the lowest cost bidder, based on a weighted system, which gives preference to providers who offer higher speed, lower latency services.

Bidding rounds are six hours in length and run from 10:00a ET to 4:00p ET. For now, the bidding rounds are every other business day. The FCC can change the schedule and timing of the rounds to generate more bidding interest.

In addition to numerous rural telcos, electric cooperatives, and WISPs, several tier one providers are also qualified to bid. They include Cox, Verizon, Altice USA, and Frontier.

Finley is proud to have worked with numerous clients to leverage the CAF program for broadband projects. We look forward to continuing partnering with clients to bring broadband to rural America.