Rural Carriers

Due to recent consolidation in the telecommunications industry, rural carriers increasingly struggle to compete with their larger counterparts. Although the Communications Act and the FCC’s rules attempt to provide rural carriers with opportunities (such as auction bidding credits and smaller geographic license areas) and allowances (such as the rural exemption as it applies to interconnection) to better compete with larger carriers, communications policy does not go far enough to enhance competitive opportunities for rural carriers.

Patton Boggs offers assistance to rural carriers seeking to deploy broadband networks in rural, underserved, and unserved areas in the full range of regulatory compliance, enforcement, and policy matters before the FCC, USAC, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Utilities Service (RUS), and State Public Service Commissions.

The TechComm group also provides assistance to rural carriers with network deployment and build-out, including spectrum acquisitions, spectrum leases, tower and site leases, collocation agreements, interconnection agreements, roaming agreements, backhaul agreements, partnering agreements, joint-build and construction agreements, and wholesale access agreements.

The TechComm group is actively involved in Congressional debates regarding privacy, universal service, broadband funding, and spectrum policy, including recent debates involving the RUS Broadband Loan program and its funding mechanisms. We have extensive knowledge of the RUS Broadband Loan program and its loan application requirements. We also work closely with Patton Boggs attorneys who formerly served at the USDA, including the Office of the Secretary of Agriculture.