Like all subsidy programs - the support will never end, despite what the program says.
In theory all of the OPEX support dollars are supposed to go away. We are still paying for ACAM: Woohoo: https://www.usac.org/high-cost/funds/acam/ Deploy at least 10/1 Mbps service to the number of eligible locations equal to at least 90 percent of fully funded locations by the end of year 9 (2025) Deploy at least 10/1 Mbps service to the number of eligible locations equal to at least 100 percent of fully funded locations, in addition to meeting final deployment obligations to deploy 25/3 Mbps and 4/1 Mbps by the end of year 10 (2026) Once we get done with BEAD there shouldn't be anything left that needs 100/20. Next up - “We need operational support money”, We need Gigabit everywhere!, We need to win the race to 7G (or maybe 9G for Nathan Stook). Corporate welfare, it’s an industry! Now you can get an even bigger piece of the taxpayer pie if you agree to give the dear leader a cut! I wonder how much AT&T is willing to pay to get monopoly carrier status back? Mark > On Aug 25, 2025, at 12:04 PM, Josh Luthman <[email protected]> > wrote: > > CAF and RDOF are similar. The support is 10 years. Build requirement is 5 > years. > > Both are FCC programs and funded by USF. > > On Mon, Aug 25, 2025 at 10:34 AM Adam Moffett <[email protected] > <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: >> Interesting. I've been in a private equity world since about 2017 , so I'm >> not up to date on these programs. >> I recall CAF funded areas in NY State, but they only talked about support >> for a certain number of years, and I was unclear what you're supposed to do >> after that. Does RDOF keep the subsidy going indefinitely? >> >> >> >> From: AF <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>> on >> behalf of Josh Luthman <[email protected] >> <mailto:[email protected]>> >> Sent: Monday, August 25, 2025 10:17 AM >> To: AnimalFarm Microwave Users Group <[email protected] >> <mailto:[email protected]>> >> Subject: Re: [AFMUG] rural areas and fiber >> >> >If we, as a society, feel that those properties need broadband then there >> >would have to be something that functions more like USF, where those rural >> >properties are subsidized by a fee paid by the city dwellers. >> >> This is literally RDOF. >> >> On Mon, Aug 25, 2025 at 10:08 AM Adam Moffett <[email protected] >> <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: >> Fifteen thousand per house at 1 house per mile would be pretty optimistic >> for this area (NY State). The poles on those roads tend to be old, and the >> telco attached at a time when nobody was too concerned about the clearance >> rules. With make-ready on a rural road, you tend to get up to $50k/mile. >> You can go underground, but we have a bunch of challenges with that too. >> >> Regardless, it would be hard to make a viable business out of that scenario. >> It's all well and good if the government helps you get the capital, but >> opex is your problem. If we, as a society, feel that those properties need >> broadband then there would have to be something that functions more like >> USF, where those rural properties are subsidized by a fee paid by the city >> dwellers. >> >> Your description of old farms and farmhouses is very familiar. Family farms >> still exist, but often in the form of a corporation owned by the family. I >> think that's to avoid inheritance tax because the corporation doesn't die. >> Give your shares to the next generation when you retire rather than waiting >> until you die. The exception is dairy farms. With all the dairy subsidies >> we still have lots of dairy farms with 100 cows or less. Out of our >> >600,000 dairy cows in the state, the average herd size is 1200ish. >> >> One thing that I don't know if you experience in other states is you get the >> occasional "farm" around here that's actually just some millionaire's tax >> shelter. Some of the expenses for their palatial estate can become expenses >> for their struggling farm business. >> >> P.S.: One thing I do like about this group is nobody has ever asked me where >> NY keeps the cows with all the buildings around. >> >> -Adam >> >> >> From: AF <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>> on >> behalf of Ken Hohhof <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>> >> Sent: Saturday, August 23, 2025 12:13 PM >> To: 'AnimalFarm Microwave Users Group' <[email protected] >> <mailto:[email protected]>> >> Subject: [AFMUG] rural areas and fiber >> >> In some areas we serve where houses are a mile apart and the nearest town >> with a Walmart is 15 miles away, people tell me that when a homeowner dies >> (many are in their 70’s and 80’s), they won’t even list the house because >> nobody wants to live in the middle of nowhere. It will be abandoned, or >> torn down to and turned back into farmland. We no longer have small family >> farms with the farm family living in a house on the land, because you need >> to farm so many acres to make a profit. If a farmhouse is near a town, it >> may become a rental house, but not when it’s 10 miles from the nearest town >> or school. >> >> >> But I expect some company will be awarded $15K+ each to pass these houses >> with fiber. If it takes 4 years to complete, the house might not even be >> occupied by then, and in any case, the 80 year old occupant probably doesn’t >> care if they have gigabit Internet. >> >> >> So will fiber make these houses suddenly desirable, and work from home >> people will move there from the cities, towns and suburbs? Reviving these >> rural areas where the younger generation has moved away? I guess that’s the >> vision, I’m not sure I buy it. Well and septic and propane, quarter mile >> driveway to plow in winter, but blazing fast Internet, and you can have >> horses and chickens. >> >> >> Will they start building subdivisions out there once fiber is available? >> I’m not buying it. Am I wrong? >> >> -- >> AF mailing list >> [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> >> http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com >> -- >> AF mailing list >> [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> >> http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com > -- > AF mailing list > [email protected] > http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com
-- AF mailing list [email protected] http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com
