CenturyLink will accept $54 million from the Federal Communications Commission’s Connect America Fund (CAF) this year, to bring broadband to more than 92,000 rural homes and businesses in unserved high-cost areas.
When combined with its copayment, CenturyLink will invest more than $108 million over the next three years to bring broadband speeds of 4 Mbps downstream and 1 Mbps upstream to rural households and businesses in 33 of the 37 states where it offers residential broadband service, says the company.
The $54 million is in addition to $35 million in CAF phase one, round one money that CenturyLink accepted in 2012 to deploy broadband service to 45,000 homes and businesses in unserved rural areas. Through the CAF I program, CenturyLink is deploying broadband to nearly 140,000 unserved rural consumers.
[Image courtesy: Connect America Fund]