High Cost

FCC Identifies Areas Eligible for Support

The FCC determines that a rural area is unserved or underserved and eligible for funding.

Carriers Accept Offers or Submit Bids to Build Networks and Provide Service

Carriers accept an offer, or submit a bid, to receive a set amount of support to deploy broadband at certain speeds over a clear timeline—with interim and final deployment milestone deadlines—to a defined number of locations in eligible areas.

Carriers File Broadband Deployment Data with USAC

Carriers file data annually with the High Cost Universal Broadband (HUBB) portal showing where (by latitude and longitude) they are building out mass-market, high-speed Internet service with CAF support.

Carriers Participate in Verification Reviews

Carriers are subject to in-depth verification reviews to confirm that they are in fact building out service that meets the FCC’s performance standards at a statistically valid, randomly selected sample of locations reported to the HUBB.

Carriers Conduct Network Performance Testing

Carriers conduct network speed and latency pre-testing or testing at a USAC-generated random sample of CAF-supported broadband locations with active subscribers and submit the results to USAC as part of the annual compliance process.