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CenturyLink Gets $54M From FCC To Connect Rural America

connect-americaCenturyLink 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]

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