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Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Phase I Auction 904 Tutorial

This article provides an overview of the FCC Auction 904 Tutorial that explains how to become an eligible bidder to provide broadband services in unserved areas.

Updated:

June 25, 2020

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Source: FCC Auction 904 Tutorial

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The Rural Digital Opportunity Fund

The Rural Digital Opportunity Fund will award up to $20.4 billion to connect millions of rural homes and small businesses to high-speed broadband networks in a two-phase approach. The Phase I auction (awarding up to $16B), which is scheduled for October 2020, will target census blocks that are entirely unserved by voice and broadband with download speeds of at least 25 Mbps. Phase II will cover locations in census blocks that are partially served, as well as locations not funded in Phase I. The Rural Digital Opportunity Fund prioritizes higher network speeds and lower latency, so that these networks will be able to handle Internet applications of the future.

Essential Resources for Completing FCC Form 183

Online Application Tutorials

The FCC created an online tutorial to guide you through the Auction 904 bidding process. It is useful to review this before starting Form 183. The tutorial can be found on the FCC website. A separate tutorial addressing how to access the bidding system will be available at a date closer to the auction.

The Application Tutorial walks users through the Auction process and the Form 183 Short-Form application. The tutorial provides information about rules applicable to the auction, FCC contacts, and links. The tutorial then details the three phases of the process; pre-bidding, bidding, and post-bidding. The tutorial explains how to qualify to bid, where to find information on eligible census block groups (CBGs), identifies obligations of those selected as winning bidders, and any required due diligence.

The tutorial also reviews screenshots of the online Form 183. It covers eligibility requirements, applicant ownership information, required certifications, and the checklist of information needed to complete the form. Then it goes on to detail each section of the form and the corresponding requirements.

The tutorial concludes with an explanation of how the form will be processed and how the auction and mock auction will work. It also explains how qualified bidders will log into the secure bidding system and will be eligible to participate in a Mock Auction scheduled for October 26, 2020.

Highly Recommended Written Resources

The FCC advises that the tutorial is not a substitute for reviewing all the orders, public notices, and rules regarding Rural Digital Opportunity Fund and Auction 904. Additional documentation can be found at the Auction 904 website. Written instructions about how to complete Form 183 can be found online.

Important Dates

To be eligible to participate in Auction 904 scheduled for October 29, 2020, bidders must file the FCC Form 183 Short Form Application. Form 183 must be filed between July 1 and July 15, 2020. During the application period, applicants can visit and modify the online application before submitting it. Once applicants have completed all required information and clicked the CERTIFY & SUBMIT button, they will receive a unique file number. After the applications have been screened, there will be a brief period for eligible applicants to make minor changes to the application for the auction.