U.S. Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) called on the FCC on Thursday to approve a waiver application that would enable T-Mobile to expand broadband access in rural areas of Montana.
Daines and U.S. Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) called for support of the waiver application in a letter to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler. The senators highlighted T-Mobile’s successful track record of developing facilities in rural areas of the country.
“In our home state, the unique geography, low-density population and extreme weather conditions make it significantly more challenging to provide residents there with the communications services most Americans take for granted,” Daines and Tester wrote. “Approving the transfer of licenses from Charter to T-Mobile will help achieve our goal of quick deployment of the spectrum and enhancing the service to these areas.”
When it comes to the waiver application, the senators wrote, T-Mobile has committed to covering 40 percent of the geographic area covered by the licenses before June 13, 2017, or within six months of the FCC granting waiver approval.
“T-Mobile states in its filings to you that, without the requested waiver, it could not meet the accelerated build out deadlines that would otherwise apply and is therefore unwilling to purchase the licenses from Charter,” the letter states. “Importantly, the filing also states that it is unlikely that Charter or, indeed, anyone, would be able to meet the deadline — likely postponing use of this spectrum for years. This would be an unfortunate outcome for the citizens of Montana. We urge (Wheeler) to grant the license transfers and extension as quickly as possible and thereby allow T-Mobile to deploy the spectrum and provide advanced services to rural consumers who need them the most.”
Daines has been at the forefront of efforts to expand broadband access in rural areas of Montana, calling on the FCC to update its Universal Service Monetary Fund (USF) Mobility Fund and challenging wireless companies to improve service in rural areas during a Senate hearing last year.