FCC Will Spend up to $9 Billion to Subsidize Rural 5G Coverage

The FCC is restarting its 5G Fund for Rural America, announcing a new reverse auction that will award up to $9 billion in "targeted investments ... to bring voice and 5G mobile broadband service to rural areas of the

country unlikely to otherwise see unsubsidized deployment of 5G-capable networks." Decisions about which areas are most in need will rely, in part, on the revised National Broadband Map, which is being updating using tools like the FCC's own new Mobile Speed Test app. The FCC is also allocating almost $1 billion in funds to encourage the deployment of 5G using ORAN (Open Radio Access Network) technology. The FCC cites "benefits for competition, national security, and supply chain reliability" as reasons to encourage the use of ORAN when deploying new mobile network equipment.