Commission Document

PUBLIC NOTICE

Federal Communications Commission

News Media Information 202 / 418-0500

445 12th St., S.W.

Internet: http://www.fcc.gov

Washington, D.C. 20554

TTY: 1-888-835-5322

DA 12-236
February 16, 2012

MOBILITY FUND PHASE I AUCTION

LIMITED EXTENSION OF DEADLINES

FOR COMMENTS AND REPLY COMMENTS

ON CENSUS BLOCK ELIGIBILITY CHALLENGES

AU Docket No. 12-25

Comment Deadline: February 24, 2012
Reply Comment Deadline: March 9, 2012

Extended Comment Deadline for Census Block Eligibility Challenges: March 16, 2012
Extended Reply Comment Deadline for Census Block Eligibility Challenges: March 26, 2012

1. By this Public Notice, the Wireless Telecommunications and Wireline Competition Bureaus
(the Bureaus) extend the deadline for filing comments and reply comments on census block eligibility
challenges in the above-captioned proceeding. Interested parties should file comments challenging the
Bureaus’ determinations with respect to the potential eligibility of specific census blocks for Mobility
Fund Phase I support by March 16, 2012. Reply comments on such challenges should be filed no later
than March 26, 2012. With respect to all other issues in this proceeding, the comment and reply comment
deadlines are unchanged and respectively remain February 24, 2012, and March 9, 2012.
2. On February 2, 2012, the Bureaus released the Auction 901 Comment Public Notice, which
seeks comment on auction procedures and certain related program requirements for Auction 901, a
reverse auction to award $300 million in one-time Mobility Fund Phase I support, scheduled for
September 27, 2012.1 Auction 901 will award Mobility Fund Phase I support to carriers that commit to


1 “Mobility Fund Phase I Auction Scheduled for September 27, 2012; Comment Sought on Competitive Bidding
Procedures for Auction 901 and Certain Program Requirements,” Public Notice, AU Docket No. 12-25, DA 12-121,
paras. 15-17, 19, rel. Feb. 2, 2012 (Auction 901 Comment Public Notice). A summary of the Auction 901 Comment
Public Notice was published in the Federal Register at 77 Fed. Reg. 7152 (Feb. 10, 2012). See also Connect
America Fund, A National Broadband Plan for Our Future, Establishing Just and Reasonable Rates for Local
Exchange Carriers, High-Cost Universal Service Support, Developing an Unified Intercarrier Compensation
Regime, Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service, Lifeline and Link-Up, Universal Service Reform – Mobility
Fund, WC Docket No. 10-90, GN Docket No. 09-51, WC Docket No. 07-135, WC Docket No. 05-337, CC Docket
No. 01-92, CC Docket No. 96-45, WC Docket No. 03-109, WT Docket No. 10-208, Report and Order and Further
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, FCC 11-161, rel. Nov. 18, 2011 (USF/ICC Transformation Order), pets. for review
pending.

---

Federal Communications Commission

DA 12-236

provide 3G or better mobile voice and broadband services in census blocks where such services are
unavailable.2
3. As required by the Commission in the USF/ICC Transformation Order, we announced in the
Auction 901 Comment Public Notice that we would use the most recent available American Roamer data,
from January 2012, to determine the availability of 3G or better service at the centroid of individual
census blocks.3 We also described the methodology for identifying potentially eligible blocks.4 Because
we had not concluded our analysis of the January 2012 American Roamer data, we provided a
preliminary list of such blocks based on our analysis of October 2011 American Roamer data, in
electronic format as Attachment A files, as well as certain summary information (based on the same data)
in Attachments A and B released with the Auction 901 Comment Public Notice.5 On February 10, 2012,
the Bureaus released the updated list of census blocks potentially eligible for Mobility Fund Phase I
support, based on January 2012 American Roamer data.6 The Auction 901 Comment Public Notice asked
commenters to identify any census blocks that should be added or subtracted from the updated list of
potentially eligible census blocks and provide supporting evidence for their assertions.7 The Auction 901
Comment Public Notice stated that the Bureaus would consider such challenges only in the form of
comments to that Public Notice.8
4. On February 13, 2012, the Rural Telecommunications Group (“RTG”) filed a Motion for
Extension of Time,9 and the Blooston Rural Carriers (“Blooston”) filed a separate Motion for Extension
of Time and Separate Comment Cycle.10 RTG and Blooston both assert that additional time is necessary
for consideration of and comment upon the use of American Roamer data to identify eligible unserved
census blocks in Auction 901. Specifically, RTG requests an extension of 21 days for the deadline for
comments in this proceeding because it “questions the accuracy and reliability of the American Roamer
data used” in the Bureaus’ preparation of the list of potentially eligible census blocks and contends that it


2 We refer to “awarding” or “selecting awardees” by auction for simplicity of expression. As provided by the
Commission’s rules, see 47 C.F.R. §§ 54.1005(b) and 54.1008(a), each party that becomes a winning bidder in the
auction must file an application for support. Only after review of the application to confirm compliance with all the
applicable requirements will a winning bidder become authorized to receive support. Auction 901 Comment Public
Notice at n.2.
3 USF/ICC Transformation Order at paras. 332, 334; Auction 901 Comment Public Notice at para. 15.
4 Auction 901 Comment Public Notice at para. 16 and n.20. The term “centroid” refers to the internal point of each
census block as defined and provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. Files containing internal points are available from
http://www.census.gov/geo/www/tiger/tgrshp2010/tgrshp2010.html, and the format of these files is described in
Appendix A - Complete Record Layout at http://www.census.gov/geo/www/tiger/tgrshp2010/documentation.html.
For additional information about internal points, see Putting It Together: Data, Geography, and Application,
http://lehd.did.census.gov/led/library/doc/PuttingItTogether_20100817.pdf; and
http://www.census.gov/geo/www/2010census/gtc/gtc_area_attr.html. All sites were visited February 16, 2012.
5 Id. at para. 18.
6 “Mobility Fund Phase I Auction Updated List of Potentially Eligible Census Blocks,” Public Notice, AU Docket
No. 12-25, DA 12-187, rel. Feb. 10, 2012 (Updated Potentially Eligible Census Blocks Public Notice). The
Updated Potentially Eligible Census Blocks Public Notice also contains updated attachments consistent with the
revised list of potentially eligible census blocks.
7 Auction 901 Comment Public Notice at para. 19.
8 Id. See also USF/ICC Transformation Order at para. 342.
9 Rural Telecommunications Group, Inc., Motion for Extension of Time, filed February 13, 2012 (“RTG Motion”).
10 Blooston Rural Carriers, Motion for Extension of Time and Separate Comment Cycle, filed February 13, 2012
(“Blooston Motion”).
2

---

Federal Communications Commission

DA 12-236

needs additional time “to fully investigate the data and tools released by the Commission.”11 Blooston
requests that the Commission establish a separate comment cycle for comments challenging the American
Roamer data used by the Bureaus to identify census blocks as potentially eligible for Mobility Fund
Phase I, with initial comments due at least 30 days later than the current deadline.12
5. The Commission’s general policy is that extensions of time are not routinely granted.13
However, the Commission will consider and, in certain limited circumstances, grant requests for
extensions of time where we find that the public interest would best be served by a more complete
discussion of the pending matters. Given the issues involved in identifying potentially eligible census
blocks, from among the more than 11 million census blocks covering the United States and the
Territories, based on the availability of 3G or better mobile services, and in light of our recent release of
an updated list of potentially eligible blocks based on January 2012 American Roamer data, we believe it
serves the public interest for the Commission to allow additional time to develop a comprehensive public
record on these issues. Moreover, we do not believe that the grant of limited additional time for the
consideration of census block eligibility challenges will prejudice any interested party. We therefore
grant RTG’s and Blooston’s requests in part and deny them in part. In particular, the Bureaus extend to
March 16, 2012, the deadline for filing comments challenging the Bureaus’ determinations regarding the
potential eligibility of particular census blocks for Mobility Fund Phase I funding. Reply comments on
census block eligibility challenges are due no later than March 26, 2012.
6. The deadlines for the submission of comments on all issues raised in the Auction 901
Comment Public Notice except census block eligibility matters remain unchanged, with comments due on
February 24, 2012, and reply comments due on March 9, 2012.
7. For additional information about Auction 901, including an overview of requirements to
participate in the auction and proposals for auction procedures, you should consult the Auction 901
Comment Public Notice. That public notice and additional information about Auction 901 may be found
at http://wireless.fcc.gov/auctions/901/.
8. For further information regarding this proceeding and auction process questions, contact Lisa
Stover, Auctions and Spectrum Access Division, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, at (717) 338-
2868. For further information on Mobility Fund Phase I questions, contact Sayuri Rajapakse, Auctions
and Spectrum Access Division, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, at (202) 418-0660.
- FCC -


11 RTG Motion at 2-3.
12 Blooston Motion at 1.
13 See 47 C.F.R. § 1.46(a).
3

---