Title 47
SECTION 54.1015
54.1015 Public interest obligations and performance requirements for 5G Fund support recipients.
§ 54.1015 Public interest obligations and performance requirements for 5G Fund support recipients.(a) General. A 5G Fund support recipient shall deploy voice and data services that meet at least the 5G-NR (New Radio) technology standards developed by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project with Release 15, or any successor release that may be adopted by the Office of Economics and Analytics and the Wireline Competition Bureau after notice and comment.
(b) Interim and final service milestones and deadlines. A 5G Fund support recipient shall deploy 5G service as specified in paragraph (a) of this section as follows:
(1) Year three interim service milestone deadline. A support recipient shall deploy service that meets the 5G Fund performance requirements as specified in paragraph (c) of this section to at least 40 percent of the total square kilometers associated with the eligible areas for which it is authorized to receive 5G Fund support in a state no later than December 31 of the third full calendar year following authorization of support.
(2) Year four interim service milestone deadline. A support recipient shall deploy service that meets the 5G Fund performance requirements as specified in paragraph (c) of this section to at least 60 percent of the total square kilometers associated with the eligible areas for which it is authorized to receive 5G Fund support in a state no later than December 31 of the fourth full calendar year following authorization of support.
(3) Year five interim service milestone deadline. A recipient shall deploy service that meets the 5G Fund performance requirements as specified in paragraph (c) of this section to at least 80 percent of the total square kilometers associated with the eligible areas for which it is authorized to receive 5G Fund support in a state no later than December 31 of the fifth full calendar year following authorization of support.
(4) Year six final service milestone deadline. A support recipient shall deploy service that meets the 5G Fund performance requirements as specified in paragraph (c) of this section to at least 85 percent of the total square kilometers associated with the eligible areas for which it is authorized to receive 5G Fund support in a state no later than December 31 of the sixth full calendar year following funding authorization. In addition, a recipient shall deploy service meeting the 5G Fund performance requirements as specified in paragraph (c) of this section to at least 75 percent of the total square kilometers associated with every census tract or census block group for which it was authorized to receive 5G Fund support no later than December 31 of the sixth full calendar year following authorization of support.
(5) Optional year two interim service milestone deadline. A support recipient may, at its option, deploy service that meets the 5G Fund performance requirements as specified in paragraph (c) of this section to at least 20 percent of the total square kilometers associated with the eligible areas for which it is authorized to receive 5G Fund support in a state no later than December 31 of the second full calendar year following funding authorization. Meeting this optional interim service milestone would permit the support recipient, after confirmation of the service deployment by the Administrator, to reduce its letter of credit so that it is valued at an amount equal to one year of support as described in § 54.1016(a)(1)(v).
(c) Performance requirements. A recipient authorized to receive 5G Fund support shall meet the following minimum baseline performance requirements for data speeds, data latency, and data allowances in areas where it receives support:
(1) Median of 35 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload, and with at least 90 percent of measurements recording data transmission rates of not less than 7 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload; and
(2) Transmission latency of 100 milliseconds or less round trip for successfully transmitted measurements (i.e., ignoring lost or timed-out packets), with at least 90 percent of measurements recording latency of 100 milliseconds or less round trip.
(3) At least one service plan offered must include a data allowance that is equivalent to the average United States subscriber data usage as specified by public notice.
(d) Collocation obligations. During the 5G Fund support term, a recipient authorized to receive 5G Fund support shall allow for reasonable collocation by other carriers of services that would meet the technological requirements of the 5G Fund on all newly constructed cell-site infrastructure constructed with universal service funds that it owns or manages in the area(s) for which it receives 5G Fund support. In addition, during the 5G Fund support term, the recipient may not enter into facilities access arrangements that restrict any party to the arrangement from allowing others to collocate on the newly constructed cell-site infrastructure.
(e) Voice and data roaming obligations. A recipient authorized to receive 5G Fund support shall comply with the Commission's voice and data roaming requirements that are currently in effect on networks that are built with 5G Fund support.
(f) Reasonably comparable rates. A recipient authorized to receive 5G Fund support shall offer its services in the areas for which it is authorized to receive support at rates that are reasonably comparable to those rates offered in urban areas and must advertise the voice and broadband services it offers in its subsidized service areas. A 5G Fund support recipient's rates shall be considered reasonably comparable to urban rates, based upon the most recently available decennial U.S. Census Bureau data identifying areas as urban, if rates for services in rural areas fall within a reasonable range of urban rates for reasonably comparable voice and broadband services.
(1) If the recipient offers service in urban areas, it may demonstrate that it offers reasonably comparable rates if it offers the same rates, terms, and conditions (including usage allowances, if any, for a specific rate) in both urban and rural areas or if one of the carrier's rural stand-alone voice service plans and one rural service plan offering data are substantially similar to plans it offers in urban areas.
(2) If the recipient does not offer service in urban areas, it may demonstrate that it offers reasonably comparable rates by identifying a carrier that does offer service in urban areas and the specific rate plans to which its rural plans are reasonably comparable, along with submission of corroborating evidence that its rates are reasonably comparable, such as marketing materials from the identified carrier.
(g) Liability for failure to comply with performance requirements and public interest obligations. A support recipient that fails to comply with the performance requirements set forth in paragraph (c) of this section is subject to the non-compliance measures set forth in § 54.1020. A support recipient that fails to comply with the public interest obligations or any other terms and conditions associated with receiving 5G Fund support may be subject to action, including the Commission's existing enforcement procedures and penalties, reductions in support amounts, revocation of eligible telecommunications carrier designation, and suspension or debarment pursuant to § 54.8.