§  54.802   Rural Digital Opportunity Fund geographic areas, deployment
obligations, and support disbursements.

   (a) Geographic areas eligible for support. Rural Digital Opportunity
   Fund support may be made available for census blocks or other areas
   identified as eligible by public notice.

   (b) Term of support. Rural Digital Opportunity Fund support shall be
   provided for ten years.

   (c) Deployment obligation. (1) All recipients of Rural Digital
   Opportunity Fund support must complete deployment to 40 percent of the
   required number of locations as determined by the Connect America Cost
   Model by the end of the third year, to 60 percent by the end of the
   fourth year, and to 80 percent by the end of the fifth year. The
   Wireline Competition Bureau will publish updated location counts no
   later than the end of the sixth year. A support recipient's final
   service milestones will depend on whether the Wireline Competition
   Bureau determines there are more or fewer locations than determined by
   the Connect America Cost Model in the relevant areas as follows:

   (i) More Locations. After the Wireline Competition Bureau adopts
   updated location counts, in areas where there are more locations than
   the number of locations determined by the Connect America Cost Model,
   recipients of Rural Digital Opportunity Fund support must complete
   deployment to 100 percent of the number of locations determined by the
   Connect America Cost Model by the end of the sixth year. Recipients of
   Rural Digital Opportunity Fund support must then complete deployment to
   100 percent of the additional number of locations determined by the
   Wireline Competition Bureau's updated location count by end of the
   eighth year. If the new location count exceeds 35% of the number of
   locations determined by the Connect America Cost Model within their
   area in each state, recipients of Rural Digital Opportunity Fund
   support will have the opportunity to seek additional support or relief.

   (ii) Fewer Locations. In areas where there are fewer locations than the
   number of locations determined by the Connect America Cost Model, a
   Rural Digital Opportunity Fund support recipient must notify the
   Wireline Competition Bureau no later than March 1 following the fifth
   year of deployment. Upon confirmation by the Wireline Competition
   Bureau, Rural Digital Opportunity Fund support recipients must complete
   deployment to the number of locations required by the new location
   count by the end of the sixth year. Support recipients for which the
   new location count is less than 65 percent of the Connect America Cost
   Model locations within their area in each state shall have the support
   amount reduced on a pro rata basis by the number of reduced locations.

   (iii) Newly Built Locations. In addition to offering the required
   service to the updated number of locations identified by the Wireline
   Competition Bureau, Rural Digital Opportunity Fund support recipients
   must offer service to locations built since the revised count, upon
   reasonable request. Support recipients are not required to deploy to
   any location built after milestone year eight.

   (d) Disbursement of Rural Digital Opportunity Fund funding. An eligible
   telecommunications carrier will be advised by public notice when it is
   authorized to receive support. The public notice will detail how
   disbursements will be made.